Veteran lawyer Amie Bensouda, renowned as the lead counsel of the Janneh Commission, is slated to appear before a National Assembly select committee on Monday, September 22. Her testimony is expected to shed light on the controversial sales and disposal of assets seized from former President Yahya Jammeh, amid heightened public scrutiny and recent allegations of irregularities.
Bensouda, 68, brings a storied legal career to the proceedings. As the first female Solicitor General of The Gambia and former Attorney General under the early Jammeh regime, she became a key figure in post-dictatorship accountability efforts. Appointed in 2017 by President Adama Barrow’s administration, Bensouda served as chief legal counsel for the Janneh Commission of Inquiry, which unearthed billions of dalasis in illicit financial dealings during Jammeh’s 22-year rule.
The commission identified assets, including luxury vehicles, real estate, and agricultural holdings, recommending their forfeiture to the state. Bensouda’s marathon closing arguments in 2018 highlighted executive overreach in public enterprises, such as unauthorized investments by Gam Petroleum and extensions of fuel import licenses to cronies.
The special select committee, established in May 2025 following public outcry and protests by groups like Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), is probing the post-Janneh handling of these assets.
Chaired by Hon. Abdoulie Ceesay, the seven-member panel—initially granted 120 days—had its mandate extended by 90 days from September 18 to December 16, underscoring the complexity of the inquiry.
Terms of reference include scrutinizing sales processes, purchaser identities, and potential conflicts of interest, with powers to summon witnesses and access records.
Bensouda’s appearance comes against a backdrop of tension. Former Janneh Commission Secretary Alhaji Mamadi Kurang has accused her of ethical lapses, including advising on a secretive $1 million sale of a Rolls-Royce to an Arab businessman during the commission’s work—a claim her lawyers vehemently deny
In May 2025, Bensouda issued a cease-and-desist notice to Kurang, threatening a D144 million ($2 million) defamation suit over his “sustained campaign” of smears, which she says tarnish her reputation as a senior citizen and international legal figure.
Kurang, dismissed from the commission in 2019, has positioned himself as a whistleblower, alleging “state capture” by legal elites.
In a May address, President Barrow reaffirmed his administration’s “zero-tolerance” for corruption, emphasizing that seized assets belong to the public and pledging complete transparency.
Opposition lawmakers, including Banjul North’s Momodou Lamin B. Bah, have hailed the probe as “long overdue,” while urging conflicted members to recuse themselves.
Majority Leader Billay G. Tunkara assured an “impartial and thorough” investigation, warning that implicated parties will face the law “regardless of status.”
Civil society anticipates Bensouda’s session—open to the public—could reveal procedural flaws in asset disposals, potentially reshaping trust in governance. “This is about reclaiming looted wealth for Gambians,” said a senior GALA member. As the hearing approaches, eyes are on Bensouda, whose insights could either vindicate the process or expose deeper fissures in The Gambia’s democratic healing.
