The United States has returned $2.5 million to The Gambia from the sale of a Maryland mansion linked to former President Yahya Jammeh, with the proceeds earmarked for victims of his 22-year rule.
The US Department of Justice said the net proceeds from the forfeiture and sale of the property amounted to $2,507,911.73.
The funds will be used to compensate eligible victims under The Gambia’s Victims Reparations Act of 2023, which provides a framework for reparations for human rights violations committed between July 1994 and January 2017.
Jammeh ruled The Gambia from 1994 until 2017, when he left the country after losing a presidential election and a subsequent political standoff.
How US Seized Jammeh-linked Mansion
The property, located at 9908 Bentcross Drive in Potomac, Maryland, was acquired for about $3.5 million through a trust established by Jammeh’s wife, Zineb Jammeh, according to the US Justice Department.
US prosecutors alleged that the purchase was financed with proceeds from the misappropriation of Gambian public funds and other criminal activity.
The 11,318-square-foot property sits on 2.3 acres and includes a heated swimming pool, guest house and seven-car garage.
Property records cited in the report show that the mansion was sold for $2.65 million on June 6, 2023.
The US government subsequently forfeited the property under a civil forfeiture case in which prosecutors alleged that Jammeh accumulated millions of dollars through the embezzlement of public funds and bribes from businesses seeking monopoly rights in parts of the Gambian economy.
Under an agreement between Washington and Banjul, the $2.5 million in net proceeds will be returned to The Gambia for distribution to eligible victims.
A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General for the US Justice Department’s Criminal Division, described the recovery as an example of international cooperation in recovering assets allegedly obtained through corruption.
“Returning these funds forfeited from the former leader to compensate his victims demonstrates our commitment to recover funds taken in violation of the rule of law and to return them for the benefit of victims in a lawful process,” Duva said.
Jammeh’s Assets
The Maryland mansion represents only a portion of the assets investigators have linked to Jammeh and his associates.
The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project has reported that Jammeh and his associates looted or misappropriated at least $975 million during his 22-year rule.
A Gambian commission of inquiry separately estimated that Jammeh personally stole about $363 million from the country.
Jammeh has remained in exile in Equatorial Guinea since leaving The Gambia in 2017. The return of the Maryland property proceeds marks another effort to recover assets associated with his rule and channel them towards victims of alleged abuses and human rights violations.
