By: Fatou Krubally
The National Assembly yesterday ordered a police-led investigations into the deliberate concealment of properties linked to former President Yahya Jammeh and his associates, following damning revelations by a Special Select Committee.
The committee’s 324-page report exposed widespread mismanagement, poor record-keeping and statutory violations in the handling of state assets recovered after the Jammeh administration.
According to the report, several landed properties were never reported to the Commission of Enquiry, raising concerns that officials may have deliberately withheld information to avoid scrutiny.
Parliamentarians recommended that the Inspector General of Police investigate any fraudulent acts, with immediate suspension, prosecution, and accountability for officials found culpable.
To enhance transparency, the committee called for the creation of a single, digitized, publicly accessible register of all properties associated with Jammeh and his associates, to be maintained by the Ministry of Lands in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Accountant General’s Department. The register will include property location, boundaries, title status, valuation, and occupancy, with quarterly updates on all transactions.
The report also highlighted significant institutional conflicts, particularly between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice.
Former Finance Minister Mambury Njie criticized former Attorney General Abubacarr Tambadou for appointing a Receiver to manage and liquidate assets without proper authorization, in violation of the Public Finance Act.
Letters between the two ministers revealed disputes over statutory compliance, with Njie warning that bypassing legal procedures could result in huge losses for the state and compromise fiscal transparency.
Parliamentarians further recommended a nationwide land audit within three months by a reputable asset recovery firm to verify property existence, resolve discrepancies, and trace any newly discovered properties.
A supplementary investigation into 63 properties frozen under High Court orders but not fully examined by the Commission is also to be conducted within 90 days.
The committee stressed that these assets belong to all Gambians, not individuals, and urged immediate reforms to prevent future mismanagement.
MPs said enforcing these recommendations would strengthen accountability, restore public trust, and ensure state property is properly safeguarded.