GID TELLS COURT IT CANNOT ACCESS SEMLEX ID DATA

Testimony in Bubacarr Jaiteh v. Ali Alhusene Barry revives the long-running Semlex controversy as Lawyer Ya Kumba Jaiteh demands answers over who owns, stores and controls Gambians’ identification data

By Musa Bittaye

The Gambia Immigration Department has told a court that it no longer has access to data generated under the country’s former Semlex biometric identification system, raising fresh questions over who currently controls vital national identification records.

The revelation came Tuesday, 6 October 2026, during proceedings in Bubacarr Jaiteh v. Ali Alhusene Barry.

According to Lawyer Ya Kumba Jaiteh, the Objectee produced a National ID Card as part of his registration. She subsequently called the Gambia Immigration Department to establish the validity of the card and produce the documents upon which it was originally issued.

GID Intelligence and Investigation Unit officer Bakary Saidykhan appeared before the court.

Jaiteh said Saidykhan testified that Immigration no longer has access to the Semlex data because its access ended when the Semlex contract ended.

The disclosure immediately raises a major question: if the agency responsible for immigration cannot access historical identification records, how does it verify disputed identities or retrieve the documents originally used to establish a person’s identity?

Jaiteh also questioned the implications for law enforcement and national security.

“What happens when there is a dispute over someone’s identity or the authenticity of documents used to establish that identity?” she asked.

“Who owns the data? Who has access to it? Where is it stored? Why does GID no longer have access to it?”

She warned that the matter goes far beyond the case currently before the court.

“This is bigger than one case.”

The testimony is particularly striking because Semlex said its biometric agreement with the Gambian government was signed on 16 May 2018 under a build-operate-transfer arrangement. The company announced that the transfer of the system to the government was completed on 22 March 2024.

Yet subsequent reporting found that immigration officials had complained of being denied access to critical systems, including the Orbis administrative database and firewall infrastructure, which reportedly remained under Semlex’s control.

The controversy also has a politically sensitive history.

Former Interior Minister Mai Ahmad Fatty was dismissed by President Adama Barrow on 10 November 2017, during the height of controversy surrounding Semlex. The presidency never officially stated that Semlex was the reason for his dismissal, and Fatty denied allegations of wrongdoing.

Almost nine years later, Fatty is back on the government’s political side. His Gambia Moral Congress joined the NPP Grand Alliance, and he currently serves as National Coordinator of the ruling NPP-led alliance.

Tuesday’s court revelation therefore brings the Semlex controversy back to the centre of public attention with one urgent question:

If Semlex says it transferred the system to the Gambian government on 22 March 2024, why is the Gambia Immigration Department telling a court in October 2026 that it cannot access the historical Semlex data?

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