By Sirrah Touray
Sheriff B. Tabally, the former Sheriff of the High Court, has testified before the Special Select Committee probing the sale and disposal of assets belonging to former President Yahya Jammeh.
Mr. Tabally, who held the role from 15 May 2015 to 17 July 2019, appeared two days after current Sheriff Omar Jabang gave his testimony.
Tabally was questioned about the sale of Jammeh’s livestock and landed properties.
He admitted that the cattle sales were not advertised and that he could not identify who the intended buyers were.
“I don’t know,” he said when asked who was informed about the sale, adding that he didn’t notify anyone in particular.
He said the sales were necessary to prevent the animals from dying. But the committee pointed out inconsistencies in his testimony, while he claimed 724 cattle were sold, the committee’s records listed 725.
Tabally said the discrepancy could be due to human error or time lapse. The animals reportedly came from Farato, Banjulingding, and Kanilai.
Pressed further, Mr. Tabally said he could not identify any of the buyers, insisting that names were only recorded during the sale.
In a more troubling revelation, he disclosed that a man named Mr. Bingo had contacted him asking for the sales account details. After he sent them, Tabally received a bank alert showing the account had been emptied.
The committee raised serious concerns over the transparency and legality of the sales. Despite answering all questions calmly, Tabally admitted to ignoring a standing court order and described some of his own actions as “unusual.”
The committee deemed his conduct negligent and unlawful, especially for someone in such a senior judicial position.
His vague and inconsistent responses triggered suspicion of possible collusion with another figure, Mr. Alieu Jallow. “Apart from working with Mr. Jallow, do you have any relationship with him?” Hon. Omar Jammeh asked.
“Yes, my wife is named after his mother, but we are not related by blood,” Tabally replied. When asked if they could be “in the same boat,” he responded, “Not at all, Honorable.”
The committee has ordered Mr. Tabally to return on Wednesday, 6 August 2025, with complete and verifiable documents.
These include bank statements covering 2018 to 2021, staff deposit slips, and any other documents deemed relevant to the investigation.