More than nine years ago, the tiny West African country of The Gambia toppled a dictator – Yahya Jammeh – and with the unexpected change came a promise of accountability and good governance. But to reform, Jammeh’s successor Adama Barrow thought, would require a proper diagnosis of the past, a policy decision that established a financial inquiry into the ex–leader and his associates and separate inquiry into his human rights records.
The financial inquiry uncovered widespread theft of public resources, recommending sweeping reforms and a complete forfeiture of the assets of the former dictator whose net worth was estimated at a billion dollars — the country’s GDP at December 2016 — though government inquiry holds him responsible for pilfering little under $400 million. The cost of justice for Jammeh’s victims and reparation amounted to at least $64 million but funding for both have fallen far short of adequate, something blamed on lack of resources.
Now, a state inquiry which followed an investigative report by the local newspaper The Republic and three days of protest in May 2025, has found that the process towards the recovery of the dictator’s loot was marred by irregularities. A number of people involved are recommended for criminal proceedings including the chief architect of the post-dictatorship transitional justice process, ex-justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou.
A 324–page report of the special committee of the National Assembly revealed fragmented institutional arrangements, a poor documentation culture, and serious lapses in inter-agency coordination throughout the process of the assets disposal. Assets were often handled through informal practices and without proper legal authority. Several state institutions, including the Registrar General, the Department of Parks and Wildlife, and the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency (GLMA) failed to comply with the High Court's May 2017 freezing orders. The inquiry concluded that this led to inadequate asset preservation and significant losses.
Tambadou’s alleged responsibilities
Proceeds from some of the asset sales and dividends were paid into a recovery account at a commercial bank instead of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, violating the Public Finance Act 2014. There were persistent gaps in documentation for bank account closures and fund transfers, with some dormant accounts still carrying balances or accruing charges.
The sale of the assets of the ex–leader was not centralised. The state aircrafts were sold by the Ministry of Finance. The tractors and some of the vehicles were sold by the Janneh Commission established in 2017. The livestock were sold by the Sheriff Division of the High Court, among others. In July 2019, the then justice minister Tambadou hired Alpha Kapital Advisory, a partnership owned by Alpha Barry, to dispose of some of the assets.
At this point, an Inter-Ministerial Taskforce led by Tambadou himself was constituted. According to the Committee Tambadou’s appointment of Barry – who made 115.7 million dalasi (1,6 million dollars) as of 2023 in commissions without competitive bidding – was a “serious dereliction” of duty. And the ministerial taskforce often acted beyond its legal scope while Barry failed to provide regular updates or bidding documents as required.
A key highlight of the report is a strong-worded exchange between the country’s ex–finance minister Mambury Njie and Tambadou where Njie complained of being sidelined in the disposal process, citing concerns over its legality and transparency. “According to the findings, the exclusion of the Ministry of Finance from the asset disposal process was a deliberate strategy employed by Hon. Tambadou to bypass legal financial controls,” said lawmakers. “By intentionally sidelining the Finance Minister and the Accountant General, he was able to create parallel financial systems and open unauthorized commercial bank accounts. This circumvention of the National Assembly's oversight and constitutional frameworks facilitated the pursuit of objectives that were entirely incompatible with the principles of transparency and fiscal accountability.”
Criminal proceedings
The lawmakers ask the state to open criminal investigations into the conduct of Tambadou for “systematic and deliberate violations of the Public Finance Act 2014, abuse of office, economic crimes, among other things”. They also ask the Executive to reprimand his successor Dawda Jallow “for perpetuating and validating unlawful administrative arrangements established by his predecessor”.
Other criminal investigations are recommended into the conduct of Alpha Barry, the trustee appointed by Tambadou to oversee the sales, “for, among other things, conspiracy to defraud the State”, as well as into the conduct of Hon. Justice Sheriff B. Tabally “for causing economic loss to the state, negligence and dereliction of duty, and for any other offence”. Tabally, now a High Court judge, was the Sheriff of the High Court who oversaw the sale of the livestock of the ex–dictator. The official from the justice ministry who joined Tabally in the sale of the livestock was Alieu Jallow, a former acting registrar of companies, who the Committee said should be investigated for “economic loss to the state, and for any other offence”.
For example, over 400 cattle were allegedly slaughtered or stolen from the Farato Farm immediately after Jammeh's departure. The former President's zoo (including lions and camels) was found to be completely depleted.
According to the government's last declarations, only $23. 7 million, was recovered from the sale of Jammeh’s 35 holdings including a vehicle garage, livestock, 5 aircraft, 458 vehicles, 197 tractors, shares in four companies, dividend payments from three companies and valuable items found at his Dunes Resort and Casino.
For victims, a loss and an opportunity
“The Gambia had the capacity to have self-funded the prosecutions and the entire reparations if the proceeds from Jammeh asset sales were well managed,” laments leading Gambian human rights activist Madi Jobarteh. “Now that millions of dalasi have been squandered, and with the current global geopolitical situation, one wonders how the government would raise funds. Not that so-called donors are fatigued or changed their strategic focus or are now preoccupied with other pressing issues at home, but also the government itself would lack the moral standing and legitimacy to ask anyone for support.” Among the sources of funds for the country's recently established reparation commission, according to its act, is the monies recovered from sale of the dictator’s assets.
“The importance of this report is that it provides clear evidence as to how much money should or could have been generated from the sale of assets. Unfortunately, most of that money is nowhere to be seen. But with that information, victims now have firsthand knowledge and a case to present before the government to take responsibility and ensure there is adequate money for reparations and prosecutions,” says Jobarteh. “In other words, the committee’s report now empowers victims to better position themselves in pursuing compensation. The report further strengthens their case to also garner support from civil society and development partners.”
