By: Fatou Krubally
Alieu Jallow, the former Registrar of Companies, was forced to backtrack on Tuesday after repeatedly denying he ever wrote to the Janneh Commission or the Chief of Defence Staff only to later confirm the letters were indeed authored by him.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Special Select Committee probing the disposal of assets linked to former President Yahya Jammeh, Mr. Jallow was confronted with marked exhibits bearing his name and signature. The documents previously denied under oath showed he had in fact communicated directly with the Commission and the CDS.
“I could not remember writing anything to the Commission,” Jallow told lawmakers. “But if I have, I would appreciate being reminded.”
That reminder came when the committee handed him marked exhibit SBSC21. After reading the contents, he admitted: “Yes, this is my own signature.” Lawmakers reminded him that he had previously and confidently denied writing to either the Commission or the armed forces.
The committee expressed concern that his denials were deliberate, referencing prior testimony where Jallow had insisted neither the Commission wrote to him nor did he reply. “This isn’t a stack of letters it was one or two critical correspondences,” one lawmaker noted. “You cannot forget that.”
Mr. Jallow maintained he had no intention to mislead, attributing his lapses to memory failure, years of administrative instability, and constant movement between offices. He also pointed to the centralisation of documents at the Ministry of Justice, stating, “I have not been stable from one office to another. So I can lose some of my documents.”
He explained that although his letters bore his signature, he simply could not recall them and only remembered after seeing the physical copies. “I am a human being. There is nothing to conceal. I simply forgot,” he said. “If Parliament calls you, answer. And that’s why I even cancelled an overseas trip just to be here today.”
The committee, however, remained sceptical. Members reminded Jallow that he previously claimed ownership of a “personal file” he moved with one that should have contained such key correspondences. They also questioned how he selectively remembered other meeting details when challenged.
With tensions rising, the Chair reminded Mr. Jallow that deliberately withholding information from parliament carries serious implications. The hearings continue as lawmakers probe deeper into Jammeh-era asset disposal and accountability in government recordkeeping.
