Gambia’s Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Ismaila Ceesay, has clarified that not all assets seized from former President Yahya Jammeh had been sold off.
He emphasised that some of the properties had been retained for public use, and others returned to local communities.
Dr Ceesay made this disclosure during Coffee Time interview with Peter Gomez of West Coast Radio on Tuesday.
“Not all of Jammeh’s properties are being sold; some of them are being kept for public use. The land in Farato is currently being used to build a hospital and other plots hosting large poultry farms,” he said.
He added that several properties remain under government control and have not yet been disposed of.
“There are properties that are still intact; they have not been sold yet, and the government is in possession of those properties,” he said.
Dr Ceesay explained that the government made a conscious decision to retain certain assets for national development purposes. “Government has the foresight to understand that some of these properties should not be sold off and should be kept for public use,” he said.
According to him, among the assets handed over for institutional management are lands located within the Tourism Development Area (TDA), which have been transferred to the Gambia Tourism Board. “All the land within the TDA that was forfeited from Jammeh has been handed over to the Gambia Tourism Board, which is the competent authority.
However, he stated that some properties originally given to Jammeh by communities have been returned to those communities, saying: “Some communities that gave Jammeh some properties have got back those lands.”
Dr Ceesay also addressed the status of vehicles formerly owned by the ex-president. While some have been sold, he said, others remain in government custody. “There are some at the Kanifing Garage, and the Hummer Limousine is at the State House,” he mentioned.
Dr Ceesay further said a parliamentary inquiry is expected to provide clarity on outstanding issues related to the sale of Jammeh’s assets. “There will be a parliamentary inquiry. I think the inquiry will help us unearth a lot of things that are still pending; this will clarify who sold which assets, when, and how,” he pointed out.
