The much-awaited Janneh Commission of Inquiry report into the financial activities of public bodies, enterprises and offices in their dealings with former President Jammeh had been made public on Friday with startling revelations.

The 1600-page report revealed that former President Yahya Jammeh stole over a billion dalasi and amassed over 200 landed properties including private residential and commercial properties, islands, forest parks, wild life reserves and wetlands throughout the country.

A government white paper setting out President Adama Barrow’s reaction to the Janneh Commission Report was also published on Friday.

In the White Paper the Barrow government said that it accepts the report findings and recommendations, and sets out its main objective in recovering the stolen funds and monies from former president Yahya Jammeh, his family and close associates. It also sets out the actions it will institute against named individuals in the report who were found to have aided and abetted former president Yahya Jammeh’s theft and corruption.

The Janneh Commission found that when Jammeh took over the reigns of government in 1994 in a coup his salary was a D2,744.20.

But in the course of his 22 years in power he had amassed a wealth of over a billion dalasi and over 281 properties by misappropriating public funds.

“The Commission also found that disproportionate amounts of resources were wasted, misappropriated and diverted by former President Jammeh amounting to at least D1,065,012,512 (one billion and sixty-five million, and twelve thousand Dalasis); $304, 718, 071 (three hundred and four million, and seven hundred and eighteen thousand and seventy-one Dollars).

“That the meager resources at the disposal of the country were managed at former President Jammeh’s whims and caprices without regard to the structures and processes in place to ensure coherence and accountability; that former President Jammeh, from his actions, reserved the right to appropriate funds from wherever they were available to him, for procurement of goods and services and made no distinctions as to whether the project was for his personal benefit or for public purposes.”

It also found out that the misappropriation of public funds was also extended to the former First Lady Zeinab Jammeh.

The report said: “that at least D3,330,046.60 (three million, and three hundred and thirty thousand, and forty-six Dalasis); $1,858,367 (one million, and eight hundred and fifty-eight thousand, and three hundred and sixty-seven Dollars); and GBP6,618.41 (six thousand, and six hundred and eighteen Pounds Sterling), mostly in cash, was improperly authorised and directly transferred for use by Zineb Jammeh from various accounts in the country.”

The Commission noted that the former president was aided in his “criminal enterprise” by a number of people at every stages and they include government officials and private businesses. It said the government officials who collaborated with the former president did it “either out of fear or self-perseveration” while the businessmen and businesswomen did it “through greed and opportunism”.

“The Commission found that former President Jammeh’s financial dealings and/or activities were at all stages facilitated, assisted or even guided by a number of people. The Commission has identified seventeen persons (17) as close associates of former President Jammeh based on the evidence before it. These include military officers who left with him into exile, private individuals and companies that had business dealings with him either directly or indirectly through companies in which former President Jammeh had an interest.

“Apart from persons who fall in the said category, the Commission also found that there were others who worked with former President Jammeh by virtue of the offices they held, many of whom were also involved in his financial dealings and/or activities.

“The Commission underscored that the damage former President Jammeh has caused to Government institutions, public resources and State Owned Enterprises is of such serious nature that the Government ought to introduce a motion before the National Assembly for charges to be brought against him for theft, economic crimes and corruption.”

The Commission listed the following people as Jammeh’s close associates: General Sulayman Badjie, Amadou Samba, Tarrek K Musa, Muhammed Bazzzi, Fadi Mazegi, Nicolai Buziainu and Dracos Buziainu, Illija Reymond and Martin Keller, Ali Youssef Sharara, Ansumana Jammeh, Worreh Njie Ceesay, Alhagie Ousman Ceesay, Tony Ghattas, Sira Wally Ndow Njie, Amadou Colley, Basiru Njie, Oumie Savage Samba, Njogou Bah, Momodou Sabally, Noah Touray, Kebba S Touray, Fatou Mass Jobe, Feryale Diab Ghanem, Momodou Lamin Gibba, Momodou OS Badjie, Edward Graham, Abdoulie Cham, Manlafy Jarjue, Ismaila Kaba Sambou, Momodou Aki Bayo, Ebou Jallow, Edward Singhateh and Yankuba Touray