By Fatou Sillah
Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubacarr M. Tambadou, appeared on Friday before the National Assembly’s Special Select Committee investigating the sale and disposal of assets belonging to former President Yahya Jammeh. He testified regarding his role in following up on a land application submitted by his wife, Binta Sompo Ceesay.
According to The Republic, a 6.10-hectare plot stretching from Djembe Beach to Palma Junction was allocated to MOAB Capital, a company owned by Ceesay. Tambadou clarified that speculation about her involvement in Jammeh’s asset sales was misplaced. He explained that she had facilitated the sale of his family’s Fajara Golf Course property in 2019—around the same time the Jammeh asset disposal process began—and later became his second wife in December 2022, well after the Janneh Commission had concluded its work.
Committee member Omar Jammeh questioned Tambadou about his efforts to follow up on Ceesay’s application with the Gambia Tourism Board. In response, the former minister said he merely inquired about the status of the application, stressing that it was common for people—including National Assembly members—to seek his assistance while he served as attorney general.
“It is not forbidden to find out the state of the application by someone who at the time was acting as my estate agent, who I knew very well,” Tambadou said.
He further testified that Ceesay, who managed his properties as his estate agent, did not receive any government-allocated land. When pressed on whether his involvement amounted to a conflict of interest, Tambadou maintained that there was nothing unlawful in making inquiries on behalf of someone who worked for him.
“She was the person who was in charge of my properties and renting them out. She works for me, yes, but making inquiries about her application is not a crime,” he said.
The committee also asked whether Ceesay had been refunded in full for the land. Tambadou explained that she withdrew from the allocation process and ultimately did not benefit from the transaction.
In addition, Hon. Jammeh questioned whether Tambadou was aware that Alpha Barry had once chaired the board of Standard Chartered Bank while Ceesay was employed there. The witness said he was not aware of this connection.