The National Assembly has raised serious concerns over the appointment of Mr. Alpha Amadou Barry, Chairperson of Alpha Kapital Advisory, as Receiver/Trustee for assets linked to former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, highlighting multiple irregularities and breaches of administrative and financial protocols.

According to the Committee’s findings, Mr. Barry was appointed on 18 June 2019, a day after the previous receiver, Mr. Augustus Prom, ended his mandate.

Evidence shows that the appointment followed a letter dated 13 June 2019 from the Attorney General, yet no competitive or consultative process was undertaken.

The Committee described this as a significant lapse in transparency and administrative propriety.

Testimonies from former Attorney General Abubacarr Tambadou revealed that he claimed exclusive discretion, granted by the President, to appoint any individual to manage and dispose of public assets without following standard procurement or institutional norms.

Mr. Barry testified that discussions on his appointment began after a chance meeting with Mr. Tambadou in Mecca in 2019, and were finalized at a formal meeting in The Gambia, though no official minutes of the meeting exist.

The Committee further found that Mr. Barry’s engagement disproportionately benefited him, entitling him to a commission of 10% on landed property sales and 5% on companies and shares, ultimately earning over GMD 115,729,328 by 2023.

This raised questions about the necessity of using a private intermediary when public institutions such as the Ministry of Finance and the Assets Management and Recovery Corporation (AMRC) are mandated to manage state assets.

Evidence also showed that the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce’s recommendations on property sales were not consistently followed.

Several high-value properties, including 34 Liberation Avenue in Banjul, Brufut Heights, Kanifing Industrial Estate, and sites in Kotu, Sinchu Alhagie, and Soma, were sold under direct instructions from the Attorney General rather than according to Taskforce recommendations.

The Committee noted serious procedural lapses in the cancellation of leases.

Officials from the Registrar General’s office and the Ministry of Lands confirmed that lease cancellations must follow a structured process under the State Lands Act, yet some properties were deregistered without adherence to these legal steps.

Further correspondence between former Minister of Finance Mambury Njie and Mr.

Tambadou revealed deep disagreements over statutory compliance.

Mr. Njie documented multiple violations of the Public Finance Act 2014, including the unauthorized opening of commercial bank accounts for recovered funds, failure to involve the Ministry of Finance in asset sales, and threats made by the Attorney General to intimidate a Cabinet colleague.

The Committee concluded that while the objective of asset recovery was legitimate, the process was marred by irregularities, lack of transparency, and unnecessary financial loss to the State.

By Adama Makasuba