Suspicious asset sales during Janneh Commission proceedings raise alarm

The Point Newspaper

Editorial:

May 16, 2025, 12:56 PM

Recent disclosures by the Ministry of Justice, during a cabinet meeting, have revealed that certain forfeited assets linked to former President Yahya Jammeh and his associates were sold while the Janneh Commission of Inquiry was still actively conducting its investigation.

This revelation has sparked serious concerns about the legality and transparency of these transactions.

In a public address, President Adama Barrow acknowledged that sales of livestock, tractors, vehicles, and other valuables took place during the Commission’s proceedings, a period when, according to established procedures, asset disposal should have been suspended until the Commission completed its work and the government formally adopted its recommendations.

Legal experts and anticorruption practitioners have expressed suspicion that these sales were conducted "ultra vires", beyond the legal authority granted, raising questions about whether proper oversight and due process were followed. The government’s own White Paper, published in September 2019 following the Commission’s conclusion, clearly outlined that asset disposal was to be managed by a Ministerial Taskforce only after the inquiry’s findings were accepted.

President Barrow revealed that upon learning of these premature sales, he convened an urgent Cabinet meeting on May 13 to address the issue. While initially considering the establishment of an independent investigative panel, he emphasized that ongoing inquiries by the National Assembly and the National Audit Office would take precedence. The President pledged full transparency and vowed to enforce any recommendations arising from these investigations to hold those responsible accountable.

“The assets recovered belong to the people of The Gambia,” President Barrow stated. “My administration will not tolerate negligence or wrongdoing in safeguarding our nation’s resources.”

 

 

Civil society groups and anticorruption experts are calling for swift and thorough investigations, warning that the premature sale of assets could have deprived the state of rightful value and undermined public trust in the government’s commitment to accountability.

As the investigations continue, Gambians have been urged to remain calm and confident that the matter will be resolved within the bounds of the law.

This report highlights the critical concerns surrounding asset recovery efforts in The Gambia and underscores the importance of transparency and rule of law in combating corruption.

Coroner says Gen Bora Colley died of natural causes

 

May 15, 2025  standard newspaper.com

 By Omar Bah

The Coroner’s Inquest report on the death of Brigadier General Bora Colley has concluded that he died of natural causes. Colley, a former senior military officer implicated in human rights abuses during former President Yahya Jammeh’s regime, died on March 9, 2025, while in state custody. He had voluntarily returned from exile in August 2024 due to deteriorating health and was receiving continuous medical care while detained. The Attorney General requested a coroner’s inquest to determine the precise cause of death, which was conducted under the Coroner’s Act. The report found no evidence of foul play, confirming that Colley succumbed to his medical condition naturally.

Colley’s death has sparked debate about justice and accountability for alleged Jammeh-era crimes, as he was implicated in torture and extrajudicial killings by the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC). The government has expressed commitment to prosecuting such cases, but Colley’s death ended the possibility of his trial. The inquest aimed to provide transparency amid public skepticism about custodial deaths in politically sensitive cases.

CDS Cham gives shoot on sight orders for armed robbers

 

 May 15, 2025    standard newspaper.com

 By Amadou Jadama on tour

The Chief of Defence Staff Lt Gen Mamat O Cham has given an order to his soldiers to shoot armed robbers who are frequently entering the country, attacking innocent citizens and looting their properties.

Speaking at Lamin Koto and Farafeni military posts during his current tour, CDS Cham told soldiers that the most pressing challenge to national security currently is the constant cases of armed robbery, especially along our border villages. “Anywhere we go, or when we invite people, they all tell us they are worried about their lives and the security of their properties from armed robbers, ” CDS Cham told soldiers.

“These idiots will sleep around the border villages and wait for a Lumo day and while everybody is asleep at night, they would come with cutlasses, or hunting guns terrorising people at gun point and taking everything from them. As soldiers your order is not to negotiate. If anybody attacks any Gambian village or shop, either with a cutlass or gun with the intention to overpower them and take their wealth, and you happened to come across that, the order is to shoot to kill, and there is no ambiguity about that,” CSD Cham ordered.

He said anybody who takes up arms to rob people should be treated as an enemy to the people and the country.

‘As soldiers you should be able to use your training, military tactics and apply your skills to get close enough to the enemy and neutralise them,” CDS Cham drilled his soldiers. He assured the soldiers that his office, the government as well as the president will do everything possible to address their challenges within the available means and resources.  The tour continues.