By Kebba AF Touray
The General Manager of the Gambia Transport Service Company (GTSC), Seedy Kanyi, appeared on Monday, July 28, 2025, before the National Assembly’s Special Select Committee tasked with investigating assets linked to the former president, Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh.
Mr. Kanyi’s testimony came as part of a broader inquiry into the handling and possible misappropriation of state assets identified as belonging to the former head of state. Appearing before lawmakers, Mr. Kanyi confirmed receiving a formal summons to provide documentation and testify before the committee.
He began his appearance by acknowledging the summons and affirming that he had submitted documents in response. The committee, in turn, admitted his written statement and supporting materials into evidence.
In his testimony, Mr. Kanyi provided a detailed timeline of his professional background and leadership at GTSC. He disclosed that while he has served as the company’s General Manager since its founding in 2013, there was a notable interruption in his tenure — an 18-month absence between June 2016 and December 2017 — during which his contract had been terminated.
Following his dismissal, Mr. Kanyi said, he was reinstated in January 2018 and has remained in the position ever since. “That’s correct,” he told Lead Counsel Lamin M. Dibba, when asked if he had resumed and retained the role without interruption after his return.
Pressed further by Counsel Dibba to clarify the reason behind the break in his service, Mr. Kanyi explained simply: “My services were terminated.” During his absence, he said, Mr. Habibou Drammeh served as the company’s General Manager until early December 2018, when Mr. Drammeh was appointed a government minister. At that point, Mr. Raymond Ceesay assumed the role of acting head in an overseer capacity.
Reflecting on his responsibilities as General Manager, Mr. Kanyi emphasized the breadth of his oversight. “I shoulder everything about the company, starting from operations, finance and human resources,” he said. “As the name of the position implies, I am responsible for the overall day-to-day activities of the company.”
During Monday’s proceedings, several documents were submitted to the committee and formally entered into the record. These included:
- GTSC 1: Mr. Kanyi’s written statement;
- GTSC 2: The summons issued by the committee;
- GTSC 3: Mr. Kanyi’s written response to the summons;
- GTSC 4: A document issued by the Janneh Commission’s Secretary, Alhagie Mamadi Kurang;
- GTSC 5: A letter dated January 23, 2018, from the Janneh Commission to Mr. Kanyi, including a two-page attachment;
- GTSC 6: A letter from the Government Controller of Vehicles to the State House Commander;
- GTSC 7: A letter from GTSC to the Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry, authored by the company’s Chief Engineer; and
- GTSC 8: A separate letter addressed from GTSC to the Chair of the Commission of Inquiry.
Referring to Exhibit GTSC 3, Counsel Dibba cited Mr. Kanyi’s statement: “You stated that you have no records or documents in your possession concerning the work or the implementation of the Janneh Commission.” Mr. Kanyi confirmed the accuracy of the statement.
Reading further from his letter, Mr. Kanyi categorically denied any ties between GTSC and assets belonging to the former president. “We wish to state unequivocally that GTSC has never held, purchased, or been party to any transaction or arrangement involving any assets, documents or material belonging to or connected with former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh,” he said.
He added that the GTSC had “never purchased any buses from the commission and have never had any dealings with them.” However, in a sign of openness, Mr. Kanyi expressed willingness to retrieve any relevant correspondence should such documents exist within GTSC’s internal records. “If the Janneh Commission’s correspondence exists within the GTSC records, I will endeavor to retrieve any relevant documents, including any letter and associated minutes.”
He also committed to assisting the committee further by reaching out to two former GTSC officials — Mr. Ousman Joof and Mr. Kalipha Ceesay — described in the testimony as authors of two letters submitted to the committee. “They were more directly involved,” Mr. Kanyi said.
In concluding Monday’s session, the committee directed Mr. Kanyi to reappear before lawmakers on Wednesday, July 30, and to produce any additional relevant documents. His testimony is expected to resume then as the inquiry continues to trace and examine the dealings surrounding the assets reportedly connected to the former
