By Arret Jatta
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dawda Jallow, yesterday appeared before the National Assembly Special Select Committee inquiring the sale and disposal of assets belonging to former President Yahya Jammeh.
In his testimony, Minister Jallow stated that he was not in office at the time of the Janneh Commission of Enquiry was established and therefore had limited knowledge of the rationale behind its creation.
“My knowledge is only limited to the recitals of the legal notice that I read,” he said.
When asked by Counsel Lamin M Dibba to explain the considerations leading to the establishment of the commission, Minister Jallow expressed his inability to testify on the matter, citing lack of institutional memory.
“I don’t think I’m competent to testify to that,” he said.
Further asked to provide documents relating to the establishment of the commision, Minister Jallow agreed to search for any available records. “We can dig into the records and if we find any, we will be happy to share,” he said.
The committee also sought clarity on the operational aspects of the Janneh Commission, including its budget and financial autonomy.
The minister explained that the commission is autonomous in its finances and develops its own budget, but certain items require the minister’s approval or that of the president.
When questioned about the provision of resources to the commission, Minister Jallow stated that he was not aware of any institutions or departments providing financial or other resources to the commission, unless confronted with a record of it.
“I have zero institutional memory of some of these questions you’re asking. I was just not there, so because I have zero institutional memory, ‘I don’t know’ will be a lot of answers I will be giving you,” he said.
The minister agreed to provide any available documents to the committee and emphasised that he would rely on records to answer questions, rather than speculation. The inquiry continues.
