By Kebba AF Touray
Members of the National Assembly’s Special Select Committee investigating the disposal of assets belonging to former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh took a hard line on Tuesday against the Former Registrar of Companies, Alieu Jallow, accusing him of concealing crucial information from the committee.
The committee’s inquiry is part of broader efforts by the National Assembly to ensure accountability in the handling of assets seized from former President Jammeh. The Janneh Commission, which completed its work in 2019, found that Jammeh had siphoned millions of dollars from state coffers and illegally acquired properties through a web of companies and proxies. The government accepted most of the Commission’s recommendations, including the recovery and disposal of illegally acquired assets — a process now under parliamentary scrutiny.
It was Jallow’s second appearance before the committee. The inquiry has placed a spotlight on the role of government agencies in the post-Jammeh asset recovery process and the level of transparency in managing state-confiscated properties.
The proceedings on Tuesday grew tense as Committee Counsel Aji Saine Kah opened the questioning by asking Mr. Jallow whether he had written to any relevant authority — including the Ministry of Justice, the Janneh Commission, the Armed Forces, the Chief of Defence Staff, or the Police — regarding the seized assets.
Jallow maintained the position he had taken during his earlier appearance: “I did not write to either of the Armed Forces, and if I have it might only be the notices that we have previously shared, or maybe the letter I have written might have been to access to certain places.”
He further stated that he had no correspondence with the Janneh Commission, emphasizing that his communications were directed to the Attorney General and Solicitor General.
“I don’t communicate with the Janneh Commission,” he said. “Maybe they have given the entire copy of the report to the commission,” he added, referring to a report he had prepared following visits to Farato and Banjulinding.
Counsel Kah pressed further: “So, you are once again confirming that you have not written to the Janneh Commission?” To this, Jallow replied, “Definitely, quite frankly, I cannot remember writing any letter to the Janneh Commission, because all my correspondences were addressed to the Ministry of Justice. If I have done that I really cannot remember.”
But that position was soon challenged when Counsel Kah introduced a document — marked SBSC 21 — into evidence. It was, she said, a letter authored by Jallow and addressed to both the Janneh Commission and the Chief of Defence Staff.
Jallow, upon reviewing the letter, acknowledged its authenticity. “This was a long time,” he remarked, conceding that it was indeed his signature on the document.
“You were very confident in which you vehemently denied ever writing to the commission, and the commission never wrote to you,” Counsel Kah responded. “This letter you are holding th
