Nine years after the fall of dictator Yahya Jammeh, The Gambia is facing a new political earthquake. A 324-page parliamentary report, scheduled for adoption this Wednesday, March 18, 2026, denounces the disastrous and opaque management of the sale of the former president's assets. At the heart of the scandal: colossal financial losses and accusations of embezzlement targeting those who orchestrated the transition.

A transition marred by irregularities

In 2017, Yahya Jammeh fled the country, leaving behind a fortune estimated at nearly one billion dollars. His successor, Adama Barrow, then promised that the sale of these assets would finance reparations owed to the victims (estimated at 64 million dollars ).

However, the special commission's investigation reveals a disastrous outcome:

1. Only $23.7 million has been recovered.
2. Massive looting: The private zoo was emptied, and more than 400 cattle were stolen or slaughtered at the Farato farm.
3. Administrative chaos: Public institutions ignored High Court freezing orders, resulting in "inadequate preservation" of assets.

Abubacarr Tambadou in the crosshairs

The report is particularly harsh on the former Minister of Justice, Abubacarr Tambadou , a leading figure in transitional justice. He is accused of having:

1. Bypassed legal controls: By excluding the Ministry of Finance to create parallel financial circuits.
2. Favored by close associates: By entrusting the sale of certain assets to Alpha Kapital Advisory , a company headed by Alpha Barry, without any competitive bidding process. Barry allegedly received $1.6 million in commissions.

"The exclusion of the Ministry of Finance was a deliberate strategy to circumvent legal financial controls," the report's authors assert.

The recommendations of the commission

Faced with these "serious shortcomings," the MPs are demanding exemplary sanctions:

1. Criminal proceedings against Abubacarr Tambadou for abuse of power and economic crimes.
2. Legal actions against Alpha Barry for complicity in fraud and against Judge Sheriff B. Tabally for his handling of the cattle sale.
3. Official reprimand against the current minister, Dawda Jallow, accused of having validated these illegal arrangements.

The "double punishment" for the victims

For the victims of the Jammeh regime, the situation is bitter. While the proceeds from the sales were intended to finance their compensation, the squandering of funds leaves a gaping hole in the reparations budget.

However, for civil society activist Madi Jobarteh , this report is a legal weapon: it proves that the state is responsible for the dedication of funds and must now assume its financial responsibilities towards the victims, despite the losses.