Funds from sale of former Gambian ruler's US property to be used to compensate victims

SERREKUNDA, Gambia (AP) — Gambian authorities said Tuesday that they had received funds recovered from the forfeiture of a United States property owned by former longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh and that they would be used to pay reparations to victims.

The Gambia Reparations Commission said it received $2,573,414.10 from the sale of a mansion in Potomac, Maryland, owned by the former ruler of the tiny West African nation.

The U.S. Department of State had secured the forfeiture in 2022 after it filed a civil forfeiture complaint alleging that the property was bought with proceeds of corruption. The property, according to the Department of State, was purchased through a trust set up by his wife.

“The funds were deposited directly into the Reparations Fund account at the Central Bank of Gambia and shall only be utilized for the payment of reparations by the commission,” said the commission in a statement. The commission was set up in 2023 to compensate victims of abuse under Jammeh's rule.

Jammeh ruled the country for over two decades. His rule was marked by arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and summary executions, victims and rights groups have claimed. He was forced out in 2017 when he rejected the 2016 election results, prompting the threat of military intervention by the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States.

“The repatriation (is) ... an important step toward reparations for victims and survivors," Sirra Ndow, Director of the Alliance of Victim-Led Organizations (AVLO), said.