By: Sarjo Brito
Economist and former Janneh Commission Secretary, Alhaji Mamadi Kurang, said the government’s refusal to publish the names of individuals who bought Jammeh’s assets signals a lack of transparency in Barrow’s government, adding that the refusal of full disclosure of the buyers is not in line with the principles of the right to information.
The Minister of Justice Dawda A. Jallow told lawmakers that full disclosure of the buyers of the former President’s assets could infringe on their privacy. The sale of some of Jammeh’s assets has been shrouded in mystery following rumours that some of the assets were acquired at cheap prices by some ministers and private individuals.
Mamadi Kurang, who made headlines in 2018 following his 7-page petition accusing the lead Counsel of the Janneh Commission Amie Bensouda of dodgy attempts to negotiate the sale of Jammeh’s lands and luxurious cars and demanding her resignation, said he has been vindicated on his assertion that the commission that was tasked to investigate and sell Jammeh’s assets was conflicted from the get-go.
‘’I feel the government is probably more worried about the prevalence of conflicts of interest in the Asset deals than protecting privacy. It is highly likely that persons connected to the investigations and top officials bought assets without due process. The Commission was advocating for open auctions to sell Jammeh’s assets. In an open auction, the buyers are in public; so why not make the list available? Did some buyers emerge behind the scenes? We know the Janneh commission had conflicts of interest issues even while it was active, and I will not rule out the fact that these conflicts of interest issues spilled over onto the implementation stage and during the sale of the assets,’’ Kurang said
Meanwhile, over 1 billion dalasis has been realized from the sale of 44 assets belonging to former President Jammeh and his close associates, according to Justice Minister Dawda Jallow.
