The assets of Gambia’s former dictator, go for a song!
April 30, 2025, Mustapha K. Darboe
Mustapha K. Darboe
‘Needless transaction’ that only enriched the receiver!
Opaque sale of vehicles!
Gambia’s former dictator is a bundle of contradictions. While he created a public image as a pan-Africanist and strong critic of the West, his acquisitions showed an expensive taste for Western products. During his 22–year rule, he procured customised luxury vehicles, such as Rolls Royce and limousines, with inscriptions of the names of his children, wife, and himself on the back of the seats.
As the inquiry into his alleged financial wrongdoing progressed, the Commission put many of his vehicles for sale, a controversial decision that a high court justice Amina Ceesay Saho ruled in a different suit was a travesty of justice.
Tambadou said the “Commission’s mandate was sufficiently broad enough to allow it to take measures to prevent further loss or damage to property while the inquiry was ongoing.” The Republic has requested an inventory of the vehicles sold, their quantity, valuation reports, and the revenue generated. Though the Ministry of Justice promised to provide these details, the request has not yet been honoured.
Ex-president Jammeh left Gambia in a rush. Following his shocking election defeat, he claimed he did not lose to Barrow and annulled the results. With a history of eccentricity, the regional leaders knew any efforts to dissuade Jammeh would need a carrot and a stick. Thus, several thousand strong forces were deployed, gathering at the border with Senegal, as diplomats and former and sitting presidents talked him into handing over power to Barrow.
In that chaos shortly after he left, as the chaos settled, his close associates took a quick inventory of his vehicles. This list, only a fraction of his total number of vehicles, includes a Chevrolet, limousine bus, VIP Mercedes Benz B5, Escalades, Bentley, five long limo Hummers, two long pickup Hummers, and two short Hummers.
A document seen by The Republic shows the vehicles were under the control of the Office of the Vehicle Control Unit at the presidency. The inventory taken by Jammeh’s associates shows the head of the unit — Nfamara Saidybah – had taken at least two vehicles from their parking spots. When contacted for information, the government vehicle controller Saidybah referred The Republic to the Commission’s report “to know the whole process of the sales of your findings.”
As the Commission investigated Jammeh, it decided to sell the vehicles, like much of his assets. After this sale, a report was drafted by one Fatou Drammeh. We have tried to reach Fatou since February 2024 through a US number, we believe hers but have not gotten a reply. The report offered no details about the buyers, inventory, number of vehicles sold, their brands and conditions, or other vital information. The auctioneer’s report claimed: “… some vehicles that were identified and valued were missing at the time of the auction while officials from different government departments were still using some.” It did not mention which vehicles were missing, their custody, and how much they were worth.
The report added: “… Majority of vehicles that were identified and valued were found to have been tampered with, and components were missing, which has rendered them scrap…” No picture of the vehicles could be found in the report. The Janneh Commission’s report, Volume 1 and 2, did note that an inventory of the cars was taken and claimed this was attached in Appendix 1. However, this section was removed before the report’s publication.
In March 2019, former justice minister Tambadou told lawmakers that the Commission sold 458 vehicles. According to the report seen by The Republic, the sale—which included “other movables” that were not specified—generated D44,288,170, or $893 510 in February 2019—or an average of D96 000 a vehicle. There was no clarity on how much sales of “other movables” constituted.
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Thank you for being a part of the OPEN GAMBIA PLATFORM community. Mustapha K. Darboe contributed to the article published in the theRepublic.gm Investigation Journal on April 30, 2025! Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of TheOpenGambiaPlatform!
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“This story was supported by Code for Africa and funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).”
