By Kebba AF Touray
The National Assembly has voted to extend by 90 days the mandate of the special select committee investigating the sale and disposal of properties linked to former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, following the expiration of its initial four-month term.
The committee, established on May 14, 2025, was originally given 120 days to review the assets identified by the Janneh Commission. That period ended on September 17, 2025, prompting lawmakers to debate whether more time should be granted.
Introducing the motion, the committee chairperson, Hon. Abdoulie Ceesay, said the scope of work had grown beyond what was anticipated. He explained that the committee had been “reviewing voluminous documentations, examining complex transactions, undertaking site visits and convening numerous public hearings.” He added that “the scope of evidence has significantly expanded and additional witnesses and documentation material to the mandate of the Committee have since come to light.” For the sake of “accuracy, thoroughness and fairness,” he said, the committee needed extra time.
Ceesay moved that the Assembly extend the mandate by 90 days starting September 18, 2025, with the committee’s final report due by December 16, 2025. He also asked that the committee continue to exercise its powers to summon witnesses and request documents.
The proposal drew wide support. Seconding the motion, Hon. Lamin Ceesay of Kiang West praised the work of the committee, saying, “These people are doing a very great job. Everybody and those of us who are watching and even outside the country, they are doing a very great job, a very brilliant job. We are investigating an amount which could be nearly $2 billion.” He added that remuneration for the committee should be considered given the scale of the investigation.
Hon. Sainey Jawara of Lower Nuimi echoed the call for remuneration, saying the committee had invested significant effort “reviewing voluminous documentations, examining complex transactions, undertaking site visits, and conveying numerous public hearings.”
Others disagreed. Hon. Sulayman Saho of Central Badibu cautioned against repeated extensions, saying, “We cannot give people a time frame, they are all the time coming back to look for extension.” He opposed additional pay for the committee, arguing, “this is a work, we have been paid as parliamentarian, and many who are doing this work, and at the end of the day, your sitting allowance at the parliament will also be paid.”
Still, some lawmakers insisted compensation was necessary. Hon. Ebrima Jaiteh of Sandu said, “I align myself with the member of Kiang West that a special remuneration package should be given to the committee to do their work. And looking at what is involved in the investigation, someone needs to be remunerated well for the person to do the work as expected of them.”
Hon. Almameh Gibba of Foni Kansala described the committee’s work as historic. “History will record them for the diligent job that they are doing,” he said, adding that the investigation involved “millions and millions of properties” and calling for better pay for both committee members and their staff.
After debate, lawmakers approved the motion, granting the committee until December 16, 2025, to complete its investigation into Jammeh’s assets.
