The United States government has lauded the release by the Government of The Gambia of the full report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Financial Activities of Public Bodies, Enterprises and Offices, known as the ‘Janneh Commission’, as well as the Cabinet white paper.
According to a statement made available to The Voice by the US Embassy in Banjul, the U S government noted: “It is crucial that the asset recovery process be undertaken in a similarly transparent fashion to assure the Gambian people that recovered assets are being properly accounted for and accrue to the public benefit.”
The commission report was launched on Friday by President Adama Barrow’s government.
The statement further said the government of the United States will continue to pursue available legal means to support the Gambian government’s efforts to recover the identified ill-gotten gains.
“The investigation of financial crimes is extremely complex, requiring specialized knowledge and training. We urge the Gambian public and civil society to invest the time to understand fully the complexities of the investigation and report, referencing the original Act that established the Commission of Inquiry, and the legal thresholds required to establish facts meeting evidentiary standards under Gambian law,” the statement said.
“We take this moment to renew our recommendation that government authorities work closely and expeditiously with civil society organizations and the National Assembly to develop strong legislation, strong regulations, and strong rule of law-based investigative and prosecutorial mechanisms to better ensure that persons who abuse their positions of public trust to greedily benefit themselves are held accountable.
“Trust by the Gambian people in their government will be bolstered by vigorous, transparent action to do so,” the statement pointed out.
