By: Fatou Krubally
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has accused President Adama Barrow of failing in his leadership duties following his national address on the sale of former President Yahya Jammeh’s assets.
In a strongly worded public statement issued Thursday, the centre said Barrow’s comments on Wednesday exposed “misleading and conflicting” positions, noting that the President’s claim of learning about the controversy through a newspaper report contradicts his own admission of receiving regular updates from the ministerial taskforce overseeing the asset sales.
“The address indicates gross dereliction of duty and failure of leadership,” the rights group stated. It called Barrow’s decision to rely on the National Assembly and National Audit Office as investigative bodies “an abdication of executive responsibility,” arguing that the President was empowered under Section 200 of the Constitution to establish a proper commission of inquiry just as he had done with the Janneh Commission.
The Centre urged Barrow to set up an independent body to investigate all processes relating to the identification, sale, and disposal of Jammeh’s assets, including reviewing all documentation and determining whether legal procedures were followed.
Among other demands, the EFSCRJ called for the immediate suspension or removal of all officials involved in the ministerial taskforce and the freezing of all Jammeh assets until investigations are complete. It also urged the government to account for all proceeds and allocate them to the Victims Reparations Fund.
In addition, the Centre demanded the dismissal of the Inspector General of Police over the denial of a protest permit to Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) and the reported use of police force against demonstrators. It called for a full investigation into all rights violations linked to the protest.
The group warned that transitional justice gains since 2017 are being eroded due to weak governance and poor leadership. “Instead of closure and justice, the Janneh Commission has degenerated into further corruption and distrust,” the statement noted.
It called on civil society, political parties, the media, and international partners to act collectively to restore trust and uphold the rule of law.
