On Tuesday, 10th March 2026, the Special Select Committee Report on the Sale and Disposal of Assets belonging to former dictator Yaya Jammeh was laid before the National Assembly. The report lays bare a devastating truth: the Gambia’s institutions did not fail because of a few bad apples, but they failed because leadership at the highest levels permitted it.
For months, the Committee heard evidence of billions misappropriated, millions in foreign currency vanishing, prime national land allocated to ghost companies, and public assets, from cattle to aircraft, sold for fractions of their value. But the most damning revelation is this: the very branches of government entrusted to protect the people actively participated in, or passively enabled, this betrayal. The numbers are staggering, but they are also a confession of failure:
• $302 Million USD, €29 Million Euros, and £2.2 Million Pounds remain unrecovered.
• Over D1.7 Billion passed through the Receiver’s accounts, yet we cannot fully account for where it all went.
• Dozens of properties, including the former dictator’s residence in Kanilai, sit looted and rotting, abandoned by the State like the rule of law itself.
The findings of the Committee reveal a disturbing pattern of administrative irregularities, weak oversight, disregard for financial laws, and lack of transparency in the handling of public assets. In particular, the report highlights violations of the Public Finance Act, the creation of parallel financial arrangements outside established government systems, defective asset valuation and disposal procedures, and poor record-keeping and accountability mechanisms. These failures have undermined public trust and raised legitimate concerns about whether the Gambian people received the full value of assets that were forfeited to the State.
EFSCRJ is particularly concerned that the report demonstrates a profound failure of leadership and responsibility within both the Executive and Legislative branches of government. On the part of the Executive, the report reveals that key officials entrusted with safeguarding public resources acted outside the law, bypassed established financial controls, and allowed administrative arrangements that weakened transparency and accountability in the management of recovered assets. Equally troubling is the finding that these irregular arrangements were not corrected even after changes in leadership within the Ministry of Justice.
We are severely perturbed by the fact that the Ministry of Justice, under the leadership of former Attorney General Abubacarr M. Tambadou, operated as a parallel government, sidestepping the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, violating the Public Finance Act, and handpicking a private Receiver, Alpha Barry, on a chance encounter in Mecca, rewarding him with commissions exceeding D115 million. When the former Minister of Finance Mambury Njie dared to question these illegalities, he was threatened with criminal prosecution by his own colleague. This is not governance but a blatant institutional capture by individuals who placed themselves above the law.
While we welcome the Committee’s recommendation for criminal prosecution for Tambadou and a permanent ban for Barry, we are concerned that other members of the Ministerial Committee were left untouched. The Ministerial Committee was an integral part of the decision making and oversight in the sale and disposal of the assets hence its members bear equal responsibility for these irregularities.
At the same time, the report acknowledges that the National Assembly itself failed to exercise sustained and structured oversight over the implementation of the Government’s White Paper on the Janneh Commission. This failure of legislative vigilance allowed irregular practices to persist for years without adequate parliamentary scrutiny. In a constitutional democracy, both the Executive and the Legislature bear responsibility for protecting public resources and upholding the rule of law. The failures identified in this report therefore represent a systemic breakdown in governance that must never be repeated.
This inquiry does not belong to the National Assembly. It belongs to the investigative journalism outfit, The Republic headed by Mustapha K Darboe who, against intimidation and indifference, dug for the truth. It belongs to the young people of the Gambia led by GALA who refused to stay silent but protested, demanded, and forced a reluctant political class to act. The Republic and GALA are indeed the true heroes. The report acknowledges the simple truth that the inquiry was a response to a call for accountability from the youth. They did what our institutions failed to do. They held power’s feet to the fire.
The recommendations of the Special Select Committee must not be left to gather dust. They must be implemented fully and transparently. Investigations recommended by the Committee must proceed without fear or favour, and all individuals found to have violated the law must be held accountable in accordance with due process. Public assets belong to the Gambian people, and their management must always meet the highest standards of transparency, legality, and accountability.
We recall Pres. Adama Barrow’s national address on 14th May 2025, delivered in response to the revelations by The Republic and the protests that followed. The President assured the nation that no stone will be left unturned and no sacred cow will be spared in establishing the truth and ensuring accountability. EFSCRJ therefore reminds the President of this commitment and urges him to demonstrate that pledge through decisive action. The credibility of his leadership now depends on ensuring that the findings and recommendations of the National Assembly’s report are implemented fully, transparently, and without fear or favour.
EFSCRJ calls on all Gambians, citizens at home and in the diaspora, civil society organizations, journalists, youth groups, trade unions, and political parties, to follow the deliberations of the National Assembly on this report and to demand the full implementation of its recommendations. Accountability cannot be left to institutions alone but requires an active and vigilant citizenry.
The struggle for transparency and justice in the Gambia did not end with the fall of the AFPRC/APRC Dictatorship led by Yaya Jammeh. It continues today in the demand for integrity in public office and responsible stewardship of national resources. Citizens must remain engaged, informed, and vocal to ensure that corruption, abuse of power, and impunity have no place in our democracy.
2026 – Empowered Citizens. Accountable Leadership
