By Sirrah Touray
The parliamentary panel of investigators into the sale of former president Jammeh’s assets has issued a strict 3-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Lands to submit all lease documents linked to former President Yahya Jammeh’s assets.
During a tense hearing yesterday, Hon Omar Jammeh of Janjangbureh grilled the Ministry’s representative, Dawda Fatty, over inconsistencies in their records.
According to the Ministry, 83 properties were initially identified under Jammeh’s name, yet only 68 were submitted to the committee. Mr. Fatty attempted to clarify that five additional properties were later recovered; raising the total to 75, but the final figure remains unclear.
Hon Jammeh, referencing Volume 3, Page 88 of the Janneh Commission’s White Paper, pressed Fatty on 25 specific properties explicitly tied to the former president. “We want you to go back, cross-check these 25 properties and tell us their current lease status. Have they been reassigned, cancelled, or are they still in Jammeh’s name?”, Hon, Jammeh demanded.
Mr Fatty cited legal advice stored in what he called the “Binga Registry,” attributed to Binga, former Deputy Director of Civil Litigation. However, he couldn’t confirm whether that advice was ever acted upon or responded to by the Ministry. “We will have to go back to the files and check,” he said.
The committee, following the heated exchange, ruled that the Ministry must provide the full list, supporting documents, and lease status of the Jammeh-linked properties within 72 hours, or face further scrutiny.
