By: Fatou Krubally
The Janneh Commission, tasked with recovering assets from the former regime, faced a dramatic pause in its operations after the Office of the President intervened in the sale of government tractors, testimony revealed yesterday.
Commissioner Ms. Abiosseh George told the Special Select Committee investigating the Commission that the decision to halt sales followed a phone call from the Office of the President during an ongoing auction. The call, reportedly made by a senior official from the President’s office, requested the Commission delay the sales to allow tractors to be redistributed for subsistence farming.
“This call came after the public notices had been in place for nearly two weeks,” Ms. George said. “While the proposal was noble, it conflicted with our mandate to preserve the value of the assets and prevent their misuse.”
The Commission had initially decided to sell the tractors to stop reports of widespread cannibalisation, where parts were being stripped from the machines, effectively reducing their value. The tractors were part of a larger effort to recover state assets efficiently, Ms. George explained, adding that the Commission had developed formal procedures to guide the sale process.
The sudden intervention sparked heated discussions among Commissioners and the Secretariat, highlighting tensions between operational independence and government influence. Ms. George described the scene as tense, with the first Secretary, responsible for managing day-to-day operations, caught in the middle of a difficult decision to comply with government directives while maintaining procedural integrity.
Despite the temporary halt, the Commission received no subsequent proposals from the government on redistribution. “We gave enough time for a formal proposal, but none came,” Ms. George noted. This prompted the Commission to resume sales, citing ongoing reports of misuse and the need to safeguard the assets’ value.
The testimony sheds light on the challenges faced by the Commission, which the witness said operated under a rushed setup, limited resources, and strict oversight requirements. It also raises questions about the balance between government input and independent decision-making in high-stakes asset recovery.
The hearing continues as the Special Select Committee examines the Commission’s operations and decisions, particularly the effect of external interventions on the management and sale of recovered assets.
