The Gambia’s Reparations Commission announced this week that it received $2.57m from the sale of a Maryland mansion once owned by former president Yahya Jammeh. The funds come from property seized by the US government, which ruled in 2022 that the home was acquired through “criminal proceeds and misappropriated Gambian public funds.”
Jammeh ruled The Gambia for more than two decades after seizing power in a 1994 coup. His tenure included widespread human rights abuses, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings. Victims of his regime are now set to receive compensation from the proceeds of this sale.
The commission said it was “pleased to inform victims, survivors and the public” of the $2,573,414.10 payment. It promised to manage the funds “responsibly and transparently, with due regard to the rights and needs of victims and survivors.”
Jammeh lost the 2016 election to Adama Barrow but initially refused to concede. After months of political tension and the intervention of troops from West African nations, including Senegal, Jammeh agreed to step down in 2017 and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea.
Following his departure, a national commission uncovered that Jammeh owned 281 properties in The Gambia, along with one each in the US and Morocco. He controlled more than 100 bank accounts. The commission concluded that Jammeh had misappropriated over $300m, an amount far beyond his official salary.
The former president faces accusations of ordering the murder of political opponents, disappearances, rape, and torture. An official commission of inquiry found that state agents were responsible for the deaths of between 240 and 250 Gambians and non-Gambians during his rule.
The seizure and sale of the Maryland mansion, located in the United States, is part of international efforts to recover assets acquired through corruption and abuse of power. The US forfeiture allowed authorities to liquidate the property and redirect the proceeds to victims.
The Gambia’s Reparations Commission has taken on the task of distributing compensation to those harmed during Jammeh’s rule. The recent payment marks the first tranche of recovered assets to be allocated for this purpose.
The commission’s announcement comes amid ongoing work to address Jammeh-era abuses and provide restitution to survivors. The $2.5m from the Maryland property sale is a tangible outcome of international cooperation in holding former leaders accountable.
Jammeh’s exile in Equatorial Guinea has continued since 2017, and his extensive wealth remains a subject of investigation. The discovery of his asset portfolio has shaped efforts to return stolen public funds to The Gambia’s people.
The use of funds from foreign property seizures to compensate victims is a rare move in post-authoritarian justice. The Gambia’s Reparations Commission now faces the challenge of ensuring the money reaches those who suffered most during Jammeh’s presidency.
According to Joy Online.
