More than half a dozen witnesses have so far been identified and summoned to appear at public hearings in the National Assembly enquiry into the sale of former president Jammeh’s assets, a source within the investigating committee told The Standard yesterday.
A seven-member committee is tasked to probe into the matter within 120 days.
Yesterday, a well-placed source informed The Standard that the committee is working strenuously to ensure that public hearings commence in the first week of July.
Asked if that timeline may not be too late, given the limited time of the life of the committee, our source said public hearings will come as the second stage in the enquiry as other issues including witness identification, evidence gathering, interviewing of identified witnesses among other critical matters are already ongoing. “You cannot start an enquiry without getting evidence,” the source added.
Our source said summon letters have already been served to a number of identified witnesses.
The identified witnesses include former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou, former Sheriff of the High Court Sheriff Tabally and former Janneh Commission executive secretary Alhaji Mamadi Kurang,who already confirmed his summon in a social media post.
The committee is tasked to look into the list of assets identified by the Janneh Commission and determine which assets were sold, transferred, or otherwise disposed of, the legal and administrative process used in the selling and under whose authority. It will also examine the valuation, pricing, procurement methods used to determine asset value and identify and profile purchasers of the assets to assess whether proper procedures were followed. Furthermore, the committee will evaluate the management and accounting of proceeds generated from the assets and determine whether funds were properly deposited in public accounts. It will have powers to recommend to the IGP to open investigations against any individual or entities wherever discrepancies of a criminal or fraudulent transactions are discovered during the enquiry.
