Africa-Press – Gambia. Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, has firmly denied claims suggesting that President Adama Barrow had any involvement in the sale of former President Yahya Jammeh’s assets. Speaking during an interview with Peter Gomez, Dr. Ceesay clarified that the asset sales were solely managed by the Janneh Commission, with no input or influence from the President.
“One thing I can assure the public is that the president has no hand, say, or influence in the Janneh Commission sales; these were done purely by the Janneh Commission,” Dr. Ceesay stated.
His comments were in response to a listener’s question regarding the alleged involvement of Fouta Enterprise, Hadim Gai, and Sering Gai in acquiring some of the assets. Dr. Ceesay said he was not familiar with these individuals or entities but reiterated that the process was managed independently.
Calling for greater transparency, Dr. Ceesay urged former members of the Janneh Commission to address public concerns and clarify the circumstances surrounding the asset sales. He emphasized that the focus should be on the integrity of the process rather than on who purchased the assets.
“For me, I don’t think it is important who bought; what is important is the process itself; if there is an auction taking place, you have a right to go and buy, I have a right to go and buy, anybody has a right to go and buy,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay further stressed that the buyers should not be blamed, as they simply participated in a public process.
“You cannot fault those who bought it. They have nothing in this; all they did was they saw an auction taking place. I think that should be the focus—the valuation, the prices, the manner in which it was advertised—those are the things we need to focus on; let’s not lose sight of that,” he said.
He also commended the ongoing oversight of the sales process, highlighting the importance of institutional accountability.
“I’m happy that the National Audit Office has done an extensive auditing of the process, and the National Assembly will eventually do also. That’s what is important,” he said.
For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press
