By Kebba AF Touray
The former Attorney General, Abubacarr M. Tambadou, told lawmakers on Monday that assets purportedly belonging to former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh were frozen to prevent their dissipation and ensure they remained intact until a final determination was made.
Tambadou appeared before the National Assembly’s special select committee investigating the sale and disposal of assets identified by the Janneh Commission as Jammeh’s properties. “The assets were frozen to ensure that nobody dissipated them, are secured until a determination is made as to how those assets will be dealt with, before the freezing order, as I said, we had reports that some of these capitals were being stolen,” he testified.
He explained that although the assets were private properties, the government intervened because of repeated reports about dissipation and other considerations. “There was a request to freeze those assets and place those assets in different government departments, those with expertise to deal with the different assets,” he said.
Pressed on how the assets were identified, Tambadou said, “For the bank accounts, the FIU provided us with the bank accounts, for the landed properties, the Ministry of Lands provided us with a list of properties that purportedly belong to the former president.”
Regarding vehicles, he recalled consultations with the late Secretary General Dawda Fadera. “I recall giving him advice at that time, over the phone, that any vehicle that were found on state property are to be presumed to belong to the state until the contrary is proved,” Tambadou told the committee. He added that anyone with a legitimate claim could contest the presumption. “It was rebuttable, of course, as I said, based on evidence, but [the government] made the assumption that they are state property.”
Tambadou outlined three categories of assets: landed properties, cattle, and motor vehicles. “We identified the assets in these three categories, and we submitted our application to the court for a freezing order, freezing all of those assets as appropriate,” he said.
He noted that he delayed court action until there was sufficient substantiation. “We had enough substantiation to go to court with, which was the starting point. If you have reasonable basis to take action, you can take action. Such was the case. We had enough evidence in our hands, which I demanded. Before that, which we did not have before, and that’s why I didn’t go to court between February, March, April, until May.”
Counsel Dibba, a member of the committee, asked what measures were put in place. Tambadou said the government recognized the stakes. “We established the Janneh Commission to also investigate. We also reached out to our Senegalese colleagues across the border to find out about the cattle that were being moved across the border and some of the vehicles that were being shipped across the border.”
He added that investigators pursued those leads as part of their efforts. When asked if there had been disagreements within government, Tambadou replied, “They all agreed in principle to take action, but how best to take that action is what we were discussing, and ideas were put forward for my consideration as the Attorney General.”
