Former Solicitor General Faces Lawmakers Over Jammeh Assets

By: Fatou Krubally

Former Solicitor General and Legal Secretary, Cherno Marenah, yesterday appeared before the National Assembly’s Special Select Committee investigating the sale and disposal of assets identified by the Janneh Commission.

The committee, which is probing how properties, vehicles, and livestock linked to former President Yahya Jammeh were managed after being seized, questioned Marenah on the Justice Ministry’s role in implementing court orders relating to the frozen assets.

Explaining his responsibilities, Marenah said his mandate was to identify and coordinate the management of all assets placed under government control following a High Court order. “It was to identify these assets, their locations, and ensure that those responsible were aware of the court order freezing them,” he told lawmakers. He added that part of the task involved liaising with the military in places like Yundum, Farato, and Kanilai, where livestock belonging to the former president were kept.

When asked if he was instructed to take inventory of the seized assets, Marenah said he did not recall any specific directive to that effect, though he confirmed that “a list of identified assets was later prepared.” He explained that the day-to-day management of the exercise was delegated to the Office of the Director of Civil Litigation, working alongside the Registrar General.

Marenah also confirmed that officials from the Registrar General’s office visited several properties across Banjul and the Kombos, issuing eviction notices to occupants and submitting reports to the Justice Ministry. “I recall a series of memos prepared by the former Registrar General detailing these visits and findings,” he said, noting that those records should still be in the ministry’s memo file.

He further told the committee that while he believed “allied ministries were informed” about the High Court order, he could not confirm whether every relevant department, such as the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency, received direct communication. “If they were not informed, either their ministry wasn’t written to or the information wasn’t passed on,” he added.

On the establishment of the Janneh Commission, Marenah clarified that it was set up under Section 200 of the Constitution through a presidential legal notice. He explained that while the commission’s main members were independent professionals, public servants were seconded as support staff to ensure administrative efficiency and institutional learning.

He maintained that the Ministry of Justice acted strictly within the law and the High Court’s orders, emphasizing that the primary goal was to preserve Jammeh’s assets and prevent their dissipation pending the commission’s investigations.

The committee’s inquiry continues.

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 By: Fatou Krubally Former Solicitor General and Legal Secretary, Cherno Marenah, yesterday appeared before the National Assembly’s Special Select Committee…
The post Former Solicitor General Faces Lawmakers Over Jammeh Assets appeared first on .