Justice Minister Admits Possible Omission of Key Janneh Commission Letters

By Fatou Krubally

The Ministry of Justice may have omitted critical correspondence in its submission to the ongoing inquiry into the disposal of former President Yahya Jammeh’s assets, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Dawda Jallow has admitted.

Appearing before a special National Assembly committee investigating the sale and disposal of assets identified by the Janneh Commission, Jallow said the ministry had submitted all documents it deemed relevant. However, he conceded that key letters, particularly protest letters from the Ministry of Finance, may not have been retrieved during the ministry’s archival search.

“I’ll take responsibility for the omission,” Jallow said. “If you still need the documents, we can go back and check… We have no reason to withhold any single document.”

Committee members expressed concern that no correspondence had been submitted regarding the Finance Ministry’s objections to its exclusion from the Ministerial Taskforce managing the assets. A 2020 letter from former Finance Minister Mambury Njie, already in the committee’s possession, warned that bypassing the Finance Ministry could lead to losses and procedural violations.

Hon. Mbowe and other lawmakers described such letters as “crucial” to understanding why the Justice Ministry proceeded without involving the institution legally mandated to oversee government revenue and accounts.

The committee unanimously ordered the Justice Ministry to produce all correspondence exchanged with any ministry concerning the Janneh Commission before, during, and after the asset disposal process.

Jallow pledged to issue “very strong instructions” for an immediate search and said any documents located could be delivered as early as tomorrow.

Members also questioned the status of outstanding payments, enforcement actions, and proceeds from assets and shares linked to individuals implicated by the Commission. Jallow said he had limited visibility on the figures but promised to provide updated recoveries and outstanding balances by Monday.

Regarding government shares in Guaranty Trust Bank Gambia (GTBank), Jallow confirmed that the task force, acting on Finance Ministry advice, decided not to sell the shares, opting instead to continue collecting dividends.

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   By Fatou Krubally The Ministry of Justice may have omitted critical correspondence in its submission to the ongoing inquiry…
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