By Arfang M.S. Camara
Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the interim leader of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) has accused Adama Barrow’s government of selling Yahya Jammeh’s properties clandestinely and at give-away-price to themselves.
He commented, “we know of former and current ministers who are riding in Yahya Jammeh’s vehicles, and those vehicles, we understand, were sold to them at give-away-prices,”
Mr. Jatta was speaking in an interview with BBC about government’s decision to suspend the sale of former President Jammeh’s assets after a ruling from The Gambia Court of Appeal.
Meanwhile, The Ministry of Justice, last week, announced that The Gambia government had stopped “all sales” of properties following the Janneh Commission’s recommendations in deference to the ruling of the Court of Appeal until a final pronouncement is made on the matter.
The Gambia Court of Appeal made a ruling last week that the recommendations of commissions of enquiry, such as the Janneh Commission that led to the issuing of the government’s white paper cannot make enforceable judicial orders that are capable of execution.
“The Court of Appeal’s judgement did not surprise me. In fact, it has come to vindicate us all. We have been talking about this all along, since the commencement of the commission; we remember they started selling Yahya Jammeh’s property, even before the commission’s recommendation”, claimed Jatta.
He added that Yahya Jammeh’s properties were sold clandestinely and as “we speak, people have been evicted from some compounds. What we expected even if it is true was that the assets seized would be managed by the Assets Management and Recovery Programme.”
Mr. Jatta accuses President Adama Barrow’s government of lack of transparency after “selling some of Jammeh’s seized assets to themselves.”
“Yahya Jammeh’s vehicles and cattle were sold and we heard information that they were sold to themselves. The current ministers have houses of cattle. We also know that there are former and current ministers who are riding in Yahya Jammeh’s vehicles, and those vehicles we understand were sold to them at give-away-price,” he revealed.