US Reacts to Janneh Commission Report, Calls for Measures to Avert Recurrence

The United States Embassy in Banjul has hailed The Gambian government for releasing the full report of commission of inquiry, commonly called “Janneh Commission”, which was set up in 2017 to probe the financial dealings of former president Yahya Jammeh and his associates.

 The Gambian Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou has led a team of senior government officials on Friday in a press conference to make the disclosure of the findings which was submitted to President Adama Barrow over five months ago. The investigations took a look into the financial activities of public bodies, enterprises and offices of The Gambia.   

 Immediately after the media engagement, the United States government in a statement applauded the Gambian government for making the full report as well as the cabinet white paper public.

 However, the US government has called for transparency in the asset recovery process for the benefit of the Gambian people and assuring that recovered assets are being properly accounted for and accrue to the public benefit.

 “The investigation of financial crimes is extremely complex, requiring specialized knowledge and training. We urge the Gambian public and civil society to invest the time to understand fully the complexities of the investigation and report, referencing the original Act that established the Commission of Inquiry, and the legal thresholds required to establish facts meeting evidentiary standards under Gambian law”.

 “The government of the United States will continue the work well under way to pursue available legal means to support the Gambian government’s efforts to recover the identified ill-gotten gains”.

 The US government recommends that the Gambian government works closely and expeditiously with civil society organizations and the National Assembly to develop strong legislation, strong regulations, and strong rule of law-based investigations in order to avert the recurrence.

 According to the statement, the partnership with such bodies will help to assist in prosecutorial mechanisms to better ensure that persons who abuse their positions of public trust to greedily benefit themselves are held accountable. 

 “Trust by the Gambian people in their government will be bolstered by vigorous, transparent action to do so”.