Members of the National Assembly Special Select Committee: Source. National Assembly
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This in-depth explainer summarises key points of the 324-page report by the Special Select Committee of the National Assembly (March 2026) regarding the inquiry into the sale and disposal of assets belonging to former President Yahya Jammeh.
Brief background
In April 2025, The Republic, a Gambian investigative outlet, published its exclusive report on the sale of Yahya Jammeh’s assets by the Janneh Commission, which was constituted in 2017 to investigate the financial dealings of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh.
The investigative report revealed that a state investigation into his alleged financial wrongdoing found that he had stolen at least $362m and lavishly spent it on expensive vehicles, aircraft, and real estate.
“All his assets were forfeited to the State, but the process of recovering his loot has been marred by alleged corruption, with officials of the current administration allegedly selling assets to friends, family, and themselves at prices only a fraction of their worth,” The Republic reported.
This investigative article was a significant catalyst for political action in The Gambia, exposing secrecy, potential corruption, and major irregularities in the disposal of the former dictator’s properties, livestock, and vehicles.
Its findings led to the formation of the youth-led movement GALA (Gambia Against Looted Assets) on May 8, 2025, followed by peaceful protests in Banjul that resulted in the arrest and detention of the protesters, who are still standing trial for what authorities described as “unlawful protest.”
Despite several arrests and detentions, the protest continued for days, and as it gained momentum, the government was left with no choice but to act.
Arrested protesters behind a pickup truck surrounded by police. Source. The Point Newspaper
In response to the backlash, President Adama Barrow addressed the nation on May 14, 2025, acknowledging the “national concern” and promising a full investigation.
The National Assembly held an extraordinary session on May 14–15, 2025, and established a Special Select Committee to investigate the legality and transparency of the asset sales.
Core mandate and methodology
The Special Select Committee was established on May 14, 2025, to verify the legality, transparency, and administrative propriety of asset disposals conducted by the Janneh Commission and subsequent government bodies.
The committee, led by Abdoulie Ceesay as chairperson, was given an initial 120 days to investigate, but this was later extended to allow a full investigation. It conducted 74 sittings between July and November 2025, hearing from over 70 witnesses.
The assets were originally identified during the work of the Janneh Commission, which was set up in 2017 after Jammeh left power to investigate the financial dealings of his administration.
The commission recommended that numerous properties, businesses, livestock, and other assets believed to have been improperly acquired be seized and sold for the benefit of the state.
Verification
The committee conducted site visits to key locations, including the State House, Kanilai (Jammeh’s principal residence), and various farms, to assess the current condition of assets.
Critical findings: systemic institutional failures
The report identifies a pattern of “administrative incompetence” and “serious governance failures” that characterised the asset disposal process.
Accordingly, the committee reported that the Janneh Commission operated without formal administrative manuals, a functional organogram, or clear reporting structures, leading to “ambiguity over functional hierarchies.”
The Committee also flagged a “perceived conflict of interest” involving the Commission’s Lead Counsel, whose law firm simultaneously represented a state entity (SSHFC) under investigation by the Commission.
The 324-page report also added that state records were described as “deeply inadequate,” with sensitive government documents and official correspondence left “unattended” and “insecure” in Jammeh’s former residence, representing a major security breach.
Asset-specific mismanagement
The report details significant losses across various classes of state assets and finds that the institutions responsible for implementing those recommendations operated with weak controls and unclear oversight, allowing millions of dalasis in potential revenue to slip through gaps in record-keeping and financial management.
The report also points to failures involving both the Janneh Commission and the Ministry of Justice, which at the time was headed by former Attorney General and Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou.
Livestock & wildlife
The committee’s report stated that there was a massive discrepancy between initial counts (up to 3,456 animals) and final valuations (as low as 516). Sales were conducted through “offline bargaining,” and cash was often stored in a “physical iron briefcase” before being banked with delays.
Landed properties
The Committee discovered that certain properties were “deliberately not brought to the attention of the Commission” and recommended a police investigation into the “fraudulent concealment” of these assets.
Bank accounts
While many accounts were “blocked,” the Committee found D40.7 million in transfers whose final destinations were not clearly specified, leading to financial irregularities. “A primary concern was the diversion of funds away from the legal treasury,” the report stated.
Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF):
Evidence showed that sale proceeds were often paid into a “recovery account at a commercial bank” rather than into the CRF, in violation of the Public Finance Act 2014.
Unauthorised Deductions: The committee’s findings reveal that a Receiver/Trustee deducted GMD 25,660,065.00 as fees, which their investigation found lacked transparent transaction-level logs to verify their correctness.
Key recommendations for reforms.
The Committee provided targeted, “time-bound” proposals to prevent future occurrences.
National Asset Register: Within six months, the government must establish a single, digitised, and publicly accessible register of all forfeited landed properties.
Standardised Auctions: All future sales must be widely advertised, proceeds processed exclusively through formal banking channels, and no single officer may have personal custody of funds.
Criminal Investigations: The Inspector General of Police is urged to investigate fraudulent acts related to the concealment of properties and the unauthorised transfer of funds.
Legislative Oversight: The National Assembly admitted its own failure to maintain “consistent scrutiny” and recommended an institutionalised framework for monitoring the implementation of future Commission recommendations.
