By Olimatou Coker
The United States government has transferred approximately US$2.5 million in proceeds from the sale of a property linked to former president Yahya Jammeh to The Gambia’s victims reparations fund.
The agreement was signed on Friday at the Ministry of Finance in Banjul by Robert Anderson, chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in The Gambia, on behalf of the US government, and Finance Minister Seedy Keita, representing The Gambia government.
The funds are expected to support reparations for victims of human rights violations committed during the former regime.
Anderson said the US pursued the forfeiture of the property on a “clear and principled basis,” noting that the asset was acquired with proceeds traceable to corruption and that the case was supported, in part, by evidence developed by The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).
According to him, the property, valued at approximately US$2.5 million, was acquired in 2010 through the Mariam Yahya Jammeh (MYJ) Family Trust.
He said authorities subsequently initiated forfeiture proceedings, culminating in a US federal court issuing a final order of forfeiture in 2022 after no claimant came forward to contest the action.
Anderson said the transfer of the proceeds reflects the shared commitment of the US and The Gambia to combating financial crime, money laundering and corruption, while ensuring that recovered assets can benefit victims of the former regime.
He cited the prosecution of Michael Sang Correa, a former member of the Junglers, as another example of cooperation between the two countries in pursuing accountability.
Anderson further explained that the case was investigated and prosecuted with the support of the US Embassy and in close cooperation with Gambian authorities.
He described the criminal prosecution and the transfer of recovered assets as complementary elements of the justice process, holding those responsible for grave abuses accountable while providing redress to those who suffered.
Finance Minister Keïta said the government’s responsibility extends beyond addressing the consequences of past abuses to ensuring that the conditions that allowed such violations to occur are never permitted to take place.
“We hope that The Gambia will never again find itself in a position where reparations are necessary because of violations committed by the state, and this is well anchored in the government of President Adama Barrow. He dearly believes in that. May the lessons of our past guide us towards a future in which the rights, dignity, and safety of every person are respected and protected,” he concluded.