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Gambia: Ex-President Jammeh Gets Life Ban from Holding Public Office

September 14, 2019

By Bakary Ceesay [caption id="attachment_64838" align="alignnone" width="800"]Yahya Jammeh ruled the tiny West African country for two decades [Issouf Sanogo/AFP] Yahya Jammeh ruled the tiny West African country for two decades [Issouf Sanogo/AFP][/caption]Gambia Commission of inquiry that is setup by coalition government to look into the financial dealing of former President Yahya Jammeh and his close associates has recommended to pressed legal actions against the Former President Yahya Jammeh for economic crime, corruption and theft as well as banning him from holding public office for the rest of his lives. The commission of inquiry report of 1600 page strongly  recommended that  Ebou Jallow, Edward Singhateh and Yankuba Touray all former members of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) have been asked by Gambia government to return stolen monies belonging to the state in the sum of thirty two million, two hundred and twenty thousand dollars ($32, 220, 000). The three  have also been banned from holding public offices in the country as well as clear unfit to manage or run any state enterprises for the rest of their lives. This latest development came on the heels of the submission of the report of the commission of inquiry launch by the government of President Adama Barrow in 2017. It was tasked to look into the financial activities and dealings of ex-president Yahya Jammeh who is alleged to have embezzled over one billion dalasi within his 22 years reign. Ebou Jallow former Spokesperson, Edward Singhateh, Defense Minister and Yankuba Touray former Minister of Local Government were found culpable by the commission of inquiry otherwise Janneh Commission for failing to account for $32, 220, 000 loan from Taiwan and thus liable for the accounts unaccounted for. They have also been indicted by the commission for obtaining $35m loans from China on behalf of the Gambia government out of which only $2.3m have been deposited at the Central Bank of the Gambia while $2.7m is been claimed to be handed over to Yahya Jammeh then Chairman of the Military Junta. The government threaten the trio of losing their assets on failure to pay back to the state within 30 days with possible legal actions taken against them. The commission found them responsible for overthrowing a democratically elected government that subsequently sets the stage and substantially enabled former President Yahya Jammeh perpetrate and perpetuate unprecedented looting of more than D1.1billion. “Mr. Ebou Jallow, Mr. Edward Singhateh and Mr. Yankuba Touray are hereby ordered to pay back to the state the sum of $32, 220, 000 within 30 days from the publication of this white Paper failing which their properties will be forfeited to the state and sold. The proceeds of sale shall be applied to the payment of monies for which they are found to be liable in the report, in addition to criminal proceedings to be instituted against them,” government white paper submitted. Government also disclosed in the white paper that Mr. Ebou Jallow, Mr. Edward Singhateh and Mr. Yankuba Touray are no longer fit to hold public offices for eternity as well as banned from holding any director position in any state enterprise in The Gambia for fifteen (15) years effective from 13th September, 2019. The report added; “Consequently, the government has decided that they (Mr. Ebou Jallow, Mr. Edward Singhateh and Mr. Yankuba Touray) are not fit to hold public office and should be banned, and Mr. Ebou Jallow, Mr. Edward Singhateh and Mr. Yankuba Touray are hereby banned from holding public office for the remainder of their lives. They are also banned from holding any director positions in any state owned enterprises in The Gambia for fifteen (15) years from the date of publication of this white Paper”.

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