Fatou Diouf details irregularities in Senegalese vessel files
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Seneweb
Former Senegalese fisheries minister Fatou Diouf described vessel-file irregularities to a parliamentary commission of inquiry, including understated tonnage, expired permits and lapsed insurance. She also defended financial regularisation measures taken during her tenure, according to Seneweb.
Former Senegalese minister for fisheries, maritime infrastructure and ports Fatou Diouf reported irregularities in the vessel files examined by the parliamentary commission of inquiry into fishing licences and authorisations. She notably cited discrepancies between tonnage certificates, navigation permits and certificates of nationality, according to Seneweb.
Checks found that several vessels had a higher actual capacity than the one declared when they were registered. As tonnage is used to calculate the fees owed to the public treasury, the authorities adjusted the criteria and began a financial regularisation process that increased the amounts collected by the state, according to Fatou Diouf.
The former minister also mentioned expired seaworthiness permits and lapsed insurance policies. These checks were carried out with the National Agency for Maritime Affairs, which is responsible in particular for checking documents and the administrative status of vessels. Fatou Diouf also defended the precautionary measures taken during her tenure and explained her power of final arbitration in the awarding of licences.
Her hearing follows the Senegalese commission’s inquiry into the allocation of fishing licences, announced on 30 October.
