Ministry of Justice denies selling Jammeh’s properties to close relatives, friends

By Yusupha Jobe

The Solicitor General at the Ministry of Justice has denied the allegation against the Ministry on the sale of former President Jammeh’s properties to close relatives and friends.

The Supreme Court of The Gambia earlier this month announced the illegality of the sale of former President Jammeh’s claimed assets by the Janneh commission based on the recommendations. The announcement has resulted to a halt on the sale process of the former President Yahya AJJ Jammeh’s landed properties including other valuable assets by the Ministry of Justice.

Cherno Marena in a special Program over the weekend on Kerr Fatu TV said the sale on former President Jammeh’s properties has taken the most legal and transparent process of bidding. He said they were first advertised on national media outlets for public consumption to allow the most qualified and highest bidder the chance of having the right to purchase such properties of  the ex President, currently in exile in Equatorial Guinea. But he denied the alleged sale of the said properties to close relatives and friends by the Ministry.

“I am not aware of anybody within the Ministry of Justice who bought a single property of former President Jammeh. And to equally inform you, I personally did not buy any of his sold properties. Again, I don’t think anybody from the Ministry buy from any of his assets,” he confirmed.

“Well if any person has the information that the Ministry of Justice selling ex-President Jammeh’s assets to their close relatives and friends he or she has the right to voice it out anywhere for transparency purposes. But what I know is that the bidding on the sale process of former President Jammeh’s properties were advertised on national media outlets especially in the print media in order to allow transparency and accountability on the sale process of such properties,” he stated.