Former Janneh Commission secretary Alhaji Mamadi Kurang has claimed that the sale of tractors seized from ex-president Yahya Jammeh could have generated at least D200 million for The Gambia—funds he says were lost due to interference and mismanagement.

Kurang, who was dismissed from the commission in 2018, spoke out in a recent QTV interview following the release of a damning investigation by The Republic, which uncovered irregularities in the disposal of Jammeh’s assets. He said the findings confirm what he had long warned: that powerful figures undermined the commission’s mission.

“We started the process, but people sabotaged it,” Kurang said. “After I was pushed out, we saw what happened. Senior officials betrayed the purpose of the commission.”

He pointed to a wide range of seized assets—500 to 600 tractors, hundreds of vehicles including luxury cars, and numerous properties—that he believes were worth far more than what has been recovered. “The tractors alone, from my firsthand experience, could have brought in D200 million,” he said.

Kurang had previously accused the commission’s lead counsel of misconduct and political interference in a petition to President Barrow, alleging efforts to block tractor sales and misuse of funds through excessive foreign travel while commission staff went unpaid.

The Janneh Commission, set up in 2017 to investigate financial crimes under Jammeh’s rule, heard testimony from over 250 individuals. But amid mounting criticism over the asset recovery process, public trust in its legacy has waned.

By Adama Makasuba