Gambia freezes Jammeh’s assets, accuses him of stealing $50m

Yahya Jammeh, former president of Gambia, stole “at least $50m” before leaving the country earlier this year, the justice ministry has said.

According to the BBC, Jammeh is accused of withdrawing the money from state-owned telecoms company.

A court has ordered the freezing of “all his remaining assets” in the country.

Jammeh had flown to Equatorial Guinea in January this year after 22 years in power as the country’s president.

He had refused to step down after losing out in the presidential election in December. The intervention of regional powers who sent in troops finally persuaded him to relinquish power.

Luxury cars and other items were reportedly loaded onto a Chadian cargo plane while he left the country.

Mai Ahmad Fatty, the country’ minister of interior, had initially suggested the amount be more than $11m.

But on Monday, Abubacarr Tambadou, the minister of justice, said that Jammeh “had withdrawn $50m between 2006 and 2016”.

He accused Jammeh of directing the “unlawful withdrawals” from accounts held at The Gambia’s central bank which are linked to state-owned Gamtel either “personally or under his instructions”.

Tambadou said a court order had “frozen or temporarily held” 88 accounts and 14 companies linked to Jammeh – amounting to all the politician’s “known assets” remaining in The Gambia, as the country’s new administration “sought to prevent him liquidating or dissipating anything further”.

The justice minister said the discoveries were “just a tip of the iceberg”.