US returns $2.5 million to The Gambia from confiscated assets

Banjul/Berlin - Gambia Participates and Transparency International welcome the United States government's announcement on 18 September that it will return approximately US$2.5 million to The Gambia from the sale of a US property purchased with misappropriated Gambian public funds. The money will be used to benefit people in The Gambia harmed by former president Yahya Jammeh's acts of corruption and abuse of office.

The funds come from the sale of a mansion in Potomac, Maryland, which was forfeited by US authorities. According to the US Department of Justice, Jammeh and his wife, Zineb Jammeh, used criminal proceeds and misappropriated Gambian public funds to purchase the property. The US$2.5 million in net proceeds will be returned to The Gambia under the country's Victims Reparations Act of 2023.

The return of proceeds from this property follows years of work by people harmed by corruption, civil society and authorities in The Gambia and the United States to ensure recovered assets linked to Jammeh's rule benefit those affected.

Since 2022, Gambia Participates, a chapter in formation within the Transparency International movement, and Transparency International have collaborated to support the forfeiture of the mansion and to ensure that the proceeds benefit, as transparently and directly as possible, the people harmed by corruption under Jammeh's rule. This has included supporting the development of a proposed spending plan for the proceeds and engaging with the US Department of Justice to advocate for the money to be transferred to The Gambia's Reparations Fund.

Marr Nyang, Executive Director of Gambia Participates, said:

"The return of these funds is an important step towards ensuring that assets linked to corruption are used to repair the harm caused to people and communities in The Gambia. We welcome the transfer of these funds under the Victims Reparation Commission and urge transparent, people-centred management, proper documentation of beneficiaries, and public reporting on the impact of the funds while protecting the dignity and privacy of those affected."

Ádám Földes, Legal and Advocacy Advisor at Transparency International, said:

"This case shows the difference that effective international cooperation can make in recovering assets lost to corruption. Too often, stolen public funds are traced or confiscated without ever making their way back to the communities affected. Returning these proceeds to The Gambia is an important step towards turning asset recovery into meaningful redress for the harm caused."

The return of the Potomac Mansion proceeds also highlights the importance of Mutual Legal Assistance - formal cooperation between countries in criminal investigations and proceedings - in asset recovery cases. Cooperation between jurisdictions is essential to tracing, confiscating and returning assets linked to corruption, and this case provides an example of how such cooperation can help ensure recovered funds are returned for the benefit of the people and communities harmed.

Gambia Participates and Transparency International are calling on the Reparation Fund, under the Victims Reparation Commission, to ensure the returned funds are managed transparently and reach those who are eligible.

This case now provides an opportunity for The Gambia to demonstrate how recovered assets can be translated into meaningful reparations, with strong safeguards and public accountability throughout the process.

Notes to editors

• Read the full US Department of Justice announcement here.

Priorities

• Asset recovery and the theft of public money
• Dirty money

Countries

• Gambia