By Sirrah Touray
The special parliamentary panel enquiring former president Jammeh’s assets concluded a tense session with Justice Minister Dawda Jallow, focusing on the sale of government properties and the handling of cattle sale proceeds.
Jallow clarified that most asset sales in phases 1, 2, and 3 were approved before he took office, and while some transactions were finalised during his tenure, he was not involved in the initial decisions. The panel questioned the transparency of the sales process, and Jallow confirmed that although properties were publicly advertised, bids were submitted in sealed envelopes and opened publicly, maintaining a formal closed bid system.
Significantly, the panel learned that the sale of these assets had been halted following its own findings, pending further scrutiny. Despite this, the government has since sought approval to resume sales, though no approval has yet been granted, prolonging the uncertainty around the properties.
A critical point of discussion was the handling of proceeds from cattle sales.
An internal judiciary memo revealed that funds from the cattle auction were held in a trust account within the Judiciary, but were later moved to a government account at the Central Bank on instructions relayed verbally by Jallow to his staff.
This unusual crossover between the Judiciary and the Ministry of Justice raised concerns about the management and accountability of public funds.
Jallow also admitted no formal knowledge of a safe reportedly held by the Ministry of Justice, which has become a focus of the panel’s inquiries. The panel agreed to conduct an onsite inspection to verify its contents and custody.
Regarding international asset searches, Jallow confirmed no new findings beyond known properties and revealed that a contract for an asset search firm was terminated after negotiations failed. He said the responsibility for ongoing investigations now lies with the Ministry of Finance, working with external consultants.
The panel pressed for detailed documentation to clarify the entire process, including comprehensive reports on all phases of property sales, official records of committee meetings, internal memos about cattle sale proceeds, and information about the safe and submitted evidence. These documents are crucial to complete the investigation and establish accountability.
