By Fatou Dahaba
The National Assembly’s Special Select Committee on the Sale and Disposal of Assets Identified by the Janneh Commission has uncovered evidence of deliberate concealment of former President Yahya Jammeh’s landed properties, prompting calls for urgent investigations, prosecutions, and a nationwide land audit.
In a scathing final report, the Special Select Committee has accused certain individuals of intentionally withholding information about landed properties belonging to former President Yahya Jammeh from the landmark Janneh Commission of Inquiry. The revelations highlight ongoing challenges in recovering and managing assets forfeited to the state after Jammeh’s ouster in 2017.
The Janneh Commission of Inquiry into the Financial Activities of Public Bodies, Enterprises, and Offices as Regards Their Dealings with Former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, concluded in 2019 that Jammeh and associates illicitly amassed vast wealth, including hundreds of properties, leading to recommendations for forfeiture. However, the parliamentary committee found that some properties were “deliberately not brought to the attention” of the commission.
Chaired investigations revealed discrepancies, including properties frozen by High Court orders in 2017 but never fully probed. The report specifically flags 63 such properties that the Janneh Commission failed to scrutinize. It also notes that certain investigations into listed assets remained inconclusive, with no evidence of follow-up action by the executive branch.
Among the properties requiring further probe are those in Kerr Serign Njagga, 72 Karaiba Avenue (Serial Registration 166/2004 Vol. 77 KD), an undeveloped plot on Kairaba Avenue in M Section Fajara (measuring 2,694.47 square meters, seized from Banta Kaira), a lease in Lamin Kerewan-Swami Layout (SR No. K197/1999), and land in Gifanga Village.
The committee pointed to a 2022 effort by the Ministry of Justice, sanctioned by the President, which uncovered 12 additional landed properties previously unidentified by the Janneh Commission. Officials from the Attorney General’s Chambers reported these findings to the President’s office in a letter dated June 21, 2022. While not the primary focus, the committee deemed the discovery significant enough to include in its recommendations.
To address these gaps, the committee has mandated swift government action. It directs the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to investigate fraudulent concealment of Jammeh-linked properties, and recommends immediate suspension and prosecution for any officials found guilty of withholding information.
In a key measure to ensure comprehensive accountability, the report calls for the government to engage a reputable, specialized audit firm within three months to conduct a nationwide land audit of all Jammeh-associated properties identified by the Janneh Commission and forfeited to the state. The audit must verify physical existence, boundaries, and current status; resolve discrepancies between the commission’s findings and the government’s White Paper; trace any post-commission discoveries; and explain concealment methods. Findings are to be reported directly to the National Assembly within six months.
Additionally, the government must launch a supplementary administrative investigation into the 63 frozen but uninvestigated properties, determining the acquisition circumstances and the current status of each, with a report due to the Assembly within 90 days.
For long-term transparency, the committee recommends that within six months of the report’s adoption, the Ministry of Lands—working with the Attorney General’s Chambers and Accountant General’s Department—establish a single, consolidated, digitized asset register. This public register should detail each property’s location, coordinates, size, boundaries, lease numbers, title status, encumbrances, occupants, and valuation. It must be accessible via a dedicated government portal for at least three years and updated quarterly on transactions or changes.
These recommendations come amid broader scrutiny of Jammeh-era asset recovery, following public outcry over past disposals of vehicles, livestock, and other holdings. The committee’s push aims to safeguard state resources, combat impunity, and ensure forfeited assets benefit Gambians rather than slip through cracks due to concealment or oversight failures.
