Ba Tambadou: National Assembly Closing Remarks

Editor’s Note: The following statement was delivered by former Attorney General Abubacarr Ba Tambadou at the National Assembly. It is published here verbatim, exactly as received, without any edits or alterations.

“Many things have been said about me and the Jammeh assets for far too long. Most of them were lies and fabrications. When I was invited to return home to serve at great personal sacrifice, I did so out of love for country. I did not sign up for this calumny.

In honour of my oath of office as Attorney General, I suffered in silence as my name was dragged through the mud for years. Those who knew the truth opted to stay silent out of political convenience. I assembled some of the most qualified and competent professionals in our country to handle our Transitional Justice process. Their results speak for themselves. It is unfortunate that some of them were also made the subject of false accusations and fabrications. That is why I welcomed this inquiry so that all the facts could be presented to the public.

I hope it is now clear that when it comes to the sale or disposal of the Jammeh assets:

It was the high court that ordered and conducted the sale of the cattle.
It was the Janneh Commission that ordered and conducted the sale of the tractors and vehicles.
It was the Janneh Commission which recommended that the government sell the landed properties.
It was the government which accepted the Commission’s recommendation and approved the sale of the landed properties.
My only participation in the sale of assets was as a member of a four person ministerial task force which was established by the president and endorsed by cabinet in the White paper.
That I or members of my family did not buy any of the assets be it the cattle or vehicles or landed properties.
It is also now clear that I identified Augustus Prom to the High Court as the receiver under Section 51(4) of the anti money laundering act.
It is also now clear that I did not terminate or sack Augustus Prom. His mandate as receiver under the high court order expired pursuant to Section 51(8) of the anti money laundering act. Even his representative admitted in his testimony before this committee that their mandate as receiver under the high court order had expired.
It is also clear that it was the Janneh Commission which recommended that a new receiver be appointed to replace Augustus Prom. See Volume 1 and 2, page 31, Volume 4, pages 18, 52, 85, 119 and 172.
In the same way that I identified all three Commissioners and the Secretary to the President, and identified lead counsel to the Commission, and identified Augustus Prom to the high court, I also identified Alpha Barry to the ministerial task force which approved him to replace Augustus Prom as recommended by the Janneh Commission. My actions were therefore consistent.
I never knew or met with Augustus Prom or Alpha Barry before I became Attorney General in 2017.
It is also clear that both Augustus Prom and Alpha Barry were appointed for an initial six month period subject to renewal and that both were paid at the same rate. In fact, Alpha Barry’s fee was later reduced by half after initial sales exceeded expectations.
I have been out of office since 2020 and Alpha Barry’s mandate as receiver continues to be renewed by the government to this day.
It is also now clear that there was a transparent public bidding process for the sale of the landed properties under the supervision of the ministerial task force and that there was no sales agent. As the record shows, that was a very successful venture for the State.
Finally, I would like to remind everyone about what I said in my last public appearance as AG in June 2020 by reading a short paragraph taken from my statement to the public. With extraordinary prescience, I had said the following:

The biggest threat to our peace and fledgling democracy is misinformation. I implore the media to be mindful of your critical role in a fragile democracy such as ours. Do not turn your supporters in Government against you by your actions. Do not, under the guise of freedom of expression, ruin the lives and reputations of others simply because you can. In small communities like ours in this country, the consequences of publishing false information can be devastating. The people you write about have families too, their kids go to school with other kids, their spouses interact with others at work and other public places.

By all means expose corruption and corrupt practices in Government, but I encourage you do so with facts. It will only enhance your credibility. Do not allow those with a partisan political or narrow personal agenda to use you to smear others because when you do, you will also discourage honest and hardworking Gambians from accepting to serve in public office and consequently deprive this country of the best human resource talent that we need to develop our country.”

 Editor’s Note: The following statement was delivered by former Attorney General Abubacarr Ba Tambadou at the National Assembly. It is published here verbatim, exactly as received, without any edits or alterations. “Many things have been said about me and the Jammeh assets for far too long. Most of them were lies and fabrications. When I The Fatu Network