President Barrow’s Misstep Over the Jammeh Asset Scandal
In what should have been a defining moment of leadership, President Adama Barrow’s national address on May 14, 2025, concerning the controversial sale of ex-President Yahya Jammeh’s forfeited assets, has instead deepened public mistrust and fanned the flames of national outrage.
Rather than extinguishing the scandal, the president’s statement has ignited fresh questions, revealing a government fumbling for cover in the face of serious allegations. The stakes are high. With elections on the horizon and a restless public demanding transparency, Barrow now finds himself at a political crossroads. Will he come clean, or continue on a path that could doom both his credibility and legacy?
At the heart of the confusion lies a disturbing duality: the president delivered two different versions of his speech—one in English and another in Mandinka—with notable inconsistencies.
The English version, flat and uninspired, stumbled through vague justifications and half-hearted reassurances. Delivered with all the charisma of a bored clerk reading a memo, it failed to instill any confidence in a nation on edge.
Contrast this with his Mandinka delivery, which crackled with emotion and familiarity—but also with alarming revelations not found in the English transcript. Among them, Barrow admitted he had personally authorized some of the sales before the Janneh Commission concluded its findings—a confession that, if accurate, raises serious legal and ethical concerns.
The implication is clear: either President Barrow is hiding behind language barriers or selectively revealing the truth. In either case, Gambians deserve better than a leadership that speaks in riddles.
Another glaring omission was the president’s refusal to specify when he learned of the asset sales. The Janneh Commission began its work in 2017. Reports of asset mismanagement have swirled for years. Yet the president now claims surprise—only after explosive investigative reports and public protests brought the issue to a boil.
Even more concerning is his failure to mention key actors in the process, notably former Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou, under whose watch many of the transactions reportedly took place. This strategic silence has only fueled suspicions of a calculated cover-up at the highest levels of government.
We can still recall that on Friday, March 29, 2019, at the State House, former Justice Minister Abubacarr Ba Tambadou stepped forward to deliver the final report of the Janneh Commission to President Adama Barrow. With a voice laced with fire and fury, Minister Tambadou unleashed a torrent of language rarely heard from a Gambian public official—language steeped not only in legal gravity but also ablaze with moral outrage.
Literally describing Yahya Jammeh’s rule as a sordid saga of “greed and rampant corruption,” he tore through the veil of impunity, baring before the world the rot that had festered in the shadows of power.
The Commission, he said, had unearthed a mountain of wealth siphoned by Jammeh for his personal pleasure and aggrandizement amounting to an excess of 1,065,012,000 Gambian Dalasis, $304,718,071 US Dollars, €29,475,269 Euros and £2,250,000 British Pounds.
Moreover, Abubacarr Ba Tambadou revealed the discovery of 281 landed properties registered in the name of former President Yahya Jammeh and his close associates—excluding his opulent residence along the Potomac River in Maryland, USA, which is already earmarked for forfeiture by the U.S. government. He also hinted at ongoing investigations into Jammeh’s secret offshore bank accounts hidden across various international financial havens.
Obviously President Barrow can’t say that this eye-watering haul account for assets clandestinely spirited away beyond his knowledge. In light of such monumental betrayal, the call for transparency rings louder than ever.
It is now a solemn duty of President Adama Barrow to cast light on every dalasi, dime and property recovered—to disclose, without ambiguity or delay, the origins of these funds, the total recouped, the manner of their expenditure if already utilized, what remains intact, and where such monies are currently secured.
Worse still, Barrow’s assertion that a taskforce had been “regularly reporting to Cabinet” stands at odds with his professed ignorance. How can a president claim both vigilance and ignorance in the same breath?
President Barrow’s announcement of yet another investigative panel was met with audible groans across the country. Gambians are tired—tired of toothless commissions, recycled promises, and the recurring spectacle of leaders dodging accountability.
What the public demands is not another rubber-stamped report. What they need is action—swift, bold, and unapologetically transparent. This should be followed by a real audit, led by the National Audit Office and supported by reputable international forensic accountants. Anything less would amount to window-dressing.
Conspicuously absent from Barrow’s remarks was any explanation of why the Augustus Prom firm—originally contracted to manage the asset sales—was suddenly replaced by Alpha Kapital. What happened to the assets under Augustus Prom’s control? Why the secrecy? These are not minor details. They strike at the very heart of the scandal.
Indeed, Barrow’s vague references to “cabinet decisions” and “committee oversight” ring hollow in the face of mounting evidence that millions of dollars may have vanished into a bureaucratic black hole.
That said, his off-script Mandinka revelation that he had sanctioned some of the sales himself, before the Commission had finished its work, could come back to haunt him—legally, morally, and politically.
President Barrow must act decisively if he wishes to salvage what remains of public trust in his leadership. In addition to last week’s publication of the government’s asset disposal report—which, though welcome, remains unsatisfactory—he must authorize an independent public audit, name and investigate all officials involved, and overhaul the President’s communication strategy. This includes holding live press conferences and setting clear timelines for delivering results. Most importantly, he must pledge specific dates for concrete actions—whether prosecutions, the recovery of stolen funds, or legislative reforms—and ensure those commitments are met.
This scandal has reached beyond partisan politics. It now challenges the very integrity of our institutions and the soul of our democratic experiment. If left to rot, it will infect every corridor of our government and every inch of public confidence.
President Barrow must understand that this is not merely about Jammeh’s legacy. It’s about his own. Will he be remembered as the reformer who cleaned up the mess, or the custodian who let rot fester under his watch? The window for decisive leadership is closing fast. Gambians are watching—and this time, they will not be fooled by silence, sidestepping, or staged apologies.
By Retired Lt. Colonel Samsudeen Sarr