Gambia’s former dictator turned criminal ruler got away with over $1.9 Billion dollars from the tiny West African country’s coffers revealed Finance Minister in the New government. At a press conference held February 20th the Minister of finance revealed over a dozen accounts that the President uses to divert public funds from public corporations into his personal numerous bank accounts created at the Central Bank under the auspices of the Office of the President. Most of the funds were diverted from the nation’s one time most profitable corporation – Gambia’s Telecommunications company Gamtel.
When the figures were revealed at the press conference people were seen opening their mouths with jaw drops of the magnitude of looting by none other than the President himself… In giving a small example of the amounts of money withdrawn from the bank accounts, the minister said the following funds were withdrawn on the following dates just from July 2014 to March 2015.. Funds withdrawn from the New Gamtel multi-million Gateway project Account called Special Project Funds include.. All the given accounts were withdrawn by one Presidential Aide Sanna Jarju as follows:
* 15 July 2014: Cash withdrawal of US$300,000 by Sanna Jarju, Office of the President
* 23 July 2014: Cash withdrawal of US$700,000 through Sanna Jarju, Office of the President
* 23 July 2014: cash withdrawal of US$600,000 through Sanna Jarjue, office of the President
*11 August 2014: Cash withdrawal of US$1,000,000 Office of the President
*10 September 2014: Cash withdrawal of US$1,000,000, office of the president
*25 March 2015: Cash withdrawal of US$750,000 by Sanna Jarjue, Office of the President
The finance minister could not reveal all the massive looting that occurred during Jammeh’s last two years. These amounts outlined above does not include the millions of dollars withdrawn during Jammeh’s last month in office when he refused to hand over power. It is estimated that Yahya Jammeh who has claimed to have access to Allah’s Bank Account may have looted as much as over $2 Billion Dollars since he came into power. These are physical money not to talk about massive assets and businesses that he illegally seized from the public and turned them into his personal property. This is a clear vindication of Jammeh’s long term opponents who has contended that he has turned one of the poorest African nations into his personal property.
What is so difficult for the Gambian people and the world to comprehend is, here is an Africa leader who has haul insults at the West and colonial powers for looting African resources. He claimed to be champion of Pan Africanism while presiding over the worst economic corruption the world has ever witnessed. Many of Jammeh’s opponents knew that Yahya Jammeh after alienating Gambia from the rest of the world, he couldn’t have survived without this unbelievable but sad loot of resources. Literally Gambia could have been an advanced economy and one of the most developed African nations if Jammeh used public funds towards providing services to the Gambian people.
With this massive uncover, many believe that this is just a drop of water in the ocean that more heart breaking theft of national resources will be revealed in due course. The question that many people are asking is what will happen and how will the new government in Banjul handle this kind of massive uncover of corruption. The New government must take its responsibilities seriously and make a case to the UN, ECOWAS, AU and to all Western governments to help recover these resources. The Barrow government must understand that we now live in a global integrated world were dictators cannot hide money without detection. Readers may recalled that the new Government in Nigeria uncovered over $200 billion Dollars from their former leaders hidden in International Banks. Most of this money was returned to the Nigerian people. The same can be applied to Jammeh’s massive and criminal loot of Gambian resources leaving Gambian hospitals, schools, public utilities and industries in ruins. The government can begin to make a strong case against former Dictator turned Criminal looting Gambia’s resources. Justice to this tiny West African nation can only be served with Jammeh is held accountable not only to the massive resources he looted but crimes against humanity he committed…
Story filed by Demba Baldeh
2 Comments
Thank you for your article…..as I have written before the Gambian people under Jammeh inhabited a kleptocracy……..no vestige of the NIA must remain…….keeping it would be like retaining the Gestapo after the fall of Hitler.
With all the revelations , we are still allowing his mighty enterprises to continue operating ? Are we serious in what we are doing ? Lets move on and take them over and put them on receivership NOW NOW NOW .