Published 28th May, 2022

By Mariam Hamzat

The United States Department of Justice has secured the forfeiture of a Maryland property acquired with approximately $3.5 million alleged corruption proceeds by Yahya Jammeh, a former president of The Gambia, through a trust set up by Zineb Jammeh, his wife.

Jammeh had previously been accused of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention. Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), an institution set up by the incumbent President Adama Barrow to investigate the allegation against Jammeh, found him responsible for the 2005 killing of West African migrants, including nine Nigerians.

In July 2020, the US justice department filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking the forfeiture of the Maryland property based on the allegation that Yahya Jammeh corruptly obtained millions of dollars through the misappropriation of stolen public funds and the solicitation of bribes from businesses seeking to obtain monopoly rights over various sectors of the Gambian economy.

“The United States intends to sell the property, and recommend to the Attorney General that the net proceeds from the sale of the forfeited property be used to benefit the people of The Gambia harmed by former President Jammeh’s acts of corruption and abuse of office,” a statement from the department read in part.

Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the justice department’s criminal division said the case demonstrates their ability to work with foreign partners to secure the forfeiture of assets allegedly derived from bribes and stolen funds despite complex attempts to disguise the proceeds and their intended recipients.

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