By Kebba Secka
In the wake of Government’s decision to execute the recommendations of the ‘Janneh’ Commission of Inquiry report, affected persons have filed appeals at the Court of Appeal in Banjul.
Courts officials have confirmed to Foroyaa Newspaper that former Secretary General and Head of the Civil Service, Momodou Sabally together with M. A Karafi and Sons, the wife of the late Baba Jobe, former president’s brother Ansumana Jammeh, ex Central Bank Governor Amadou Colley, former Minister of Finance and Economics Affairs, Kebba S. Touray, former Managing Director of Social Security and Housing Corporation, Edward Graham, Tarek of TK Motors, Amadou Samba, Muhammed Bazzi and a host of others, have filed appeals against the Commission’s recommendations against them. Court sources also confirm that the Court of Appeal will hear some of the applications on the 16th of October 2019, from 10am onwards. Several efforts have been made to get the comments of the affected persons regarding the grounds of their applications to no avail.
On Friday 13th September 2019, Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou together with the Minister of Information Ebrima Sillah and the Government spokesperson Ebrima G. Sankareh, held a press briefing on “The Gambia Government White Paper on the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Financial Activities of Public Bodies, Enterprises and Offices regarding their dealings with former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh and connected matters.”
This Commission of Inquiry was set up by President Adama Barrow to probe into the financial dealings of his predecessor Yahya Jammeh and his close associates from July 1994 to January 2017. The Commission found that former President Jammeh is liable for over a billion dalasi in Gambian currency, over three-hundred and four million US Dollars, over 29 million Euros and over 2 million Pounds Sterling. The Commission’s report was submitted to Adama Barrow on Friday March 29th 2019, at a ceremony held at the State House in Banjul.
Section 203 of the Constitution makes it a requirement for the President to publish the report and make their comments on the report within a given period of six months together with a statement on any action taken, or the reason for not taking any action.
The Commissioners were Surahata Janneh as Chairperson together with Bai Mass Saine and Abiosseh George.
According to the report, two hundred and fifty-three witnesses appeared before the Commission in a period of twenty- two months and the report which is voluminous, is a one hundred and sixty-five-thousand-page document in nine volumes.
