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- While Jammeh reportedly stole at least $362 million during his 22-year rule, only $23.7 million worth of assets has been recovered so far.
- A Gambian parliamentary committee raised concerns over untraceable funds from the sale of aircraft linked to former president Yahya Jammeh, with $740,000 in proceeds partly unaccounted for.
- Five state-owned aircraft were sold significantly below their estimated value, with some subsequently resold for higher prices, highlighting possible profiteering.
- Record-keeping gaps and the lack of transparent sales procedures have made it difficult to track the full recovery of Jammeh’s misappropriated assets.
Former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh cultivated a reputation for an extravagant lifestyle during his 22 years in power, acquiring private aircraft, fleets of luxury vehicles and high-value properties while governing a small, low-income and heavily indebted West African nation.
A state investigation found former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh liable for at least $362 million in misappropriated public funds, much of it used to acquire luxury assets including aircraft, limousines and real estate.
According to Kerr Fatou, citing a National Assembly committee report, lawmakers say they have been unable to confirm where part of the $740,000 generated from the sale of state-owned aircraft was deposited.
The findings have raised new concerns about transparency in the recovery and management of assets seized after Jammeh’s fall from power.
The investigation sheds light not only on how those assets were acquired during Jammeh’s rule but also on how they have been handled since he went into exile in Equatorial Guinea following his 2016 election defeat to President Adama Barrow.
A fortune built during 22 years in power
Despite cultivating a public image as a pan-Africanist and outspoken critic of Western influence, former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh amassed a collection of luxury assets during his 22 years in power, many of them high-end Western products.
A state investigation at the time also indicated that large sums were withdrawn from state coffers shortly before he left office.
Media reports quoting an adviser to President Adama Barrow said about $11.45 million was taken in the final weeks before Jammeh went into exile.
Jammeh’s overseas assets have also come under scrutiny.
In December 2017, during the first term of U.S. president Donald Trump, an executive order under the Global Magnitsky Act named Jammeh among individuals whose assets in the United States were to be blocked.
According to The Gambia Times, U.S. prosecutors on July 15, 2020, filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland seeking to forfeit a Potomac property owned by Jammeh and his wife, Zineb Jammeh.
Court filings say the property was purchased in September 2010 for nearly $4 million through the MYJ Family Revocable Trust.
A struggling economy and limited asset recovery
During Jammeh’s rule, The Gambia remained a small, low-income and heavily indebted economy, with per-capita income estimated at between $543 and $1,101 annually.
By the time he left power in 2016, the country’s national debt had reached roughly $1.1 billion, equivalent to about 130% of GDP.
These included 35 real estate holdings, 458 vehicles, 197 tractors, livestock, five aircraft, shares in several companies and valuable items recovered from his Dunes Resort and Casino.
A fleet of luxury vehicles
Despite the country’s fragile economic situation, Jammeh amassed an extensive collection of luxury vehicles during his presidency.
He reportedly acquired customised Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Cadillac Escalades and multiple limousine-style Hummers, some engraved with the names of his wife, children and himself on the interior.
An inventory compiled shortly after he left power listed a Chevrolet, limousine bus, VIP Mercedes-Benz B5, Bentley, Cadillac Escalades, five extended Hummer limousines, two long pickup Hummers and two shorter Hummers, representing only a fraction of the vehicles linked to the ex-Gambian leader.
The aircraft at the centre of the investigation
Among the most expensive assets tied to Jammeh’s administration was a fleet of aircraft acquired during his time in office.
These aircraft were later identified during inspections at Banjul International Airport by investigators from the Janneh Commission.
The Air Tractor aircraft, registered in 2005 and manufactured in 2004, had logged fewer than 100 flight hours but were considered unairworthy by 2017.
Meanwhile, the Ilyushin Il-62M, manufactured in Russia in 1993, had flown fewer than 5,000 hours but required maintenance estimated at $2 million, exceeding its market value.
Two Boeing 727-100 aircraft, manufactured in 1966 and 1971, had long been out of service and were eventually classified as scrap.
By contrast, the Bombardier Challenger CL601, a 12-seat VIP aircraft manufactured in 1985, was regarded as the best-maintained aircraft in the fleet.
Aircraft sold far below valuation
Despite an aviation valuation suggesting the fleet could be worth as much as $2.2 million, five of the aircraft were eventually sold for $740,000.
Two Air Tractor aircraft were sold in May 2018 for $240,000, even though earlier estimates placed their value at about $900,000, according to aviation valuation firm Virdis.
The sale was conducted by the Ministry of Finance while the inquiry into Jammeh’s assets was still ongoing and a court freeze order remained in place.
Three additional aircraft: an Ilyushin jet and two Boeing 727 aircraft were reportedly sold in 2019 for $500,000 to Sankajula Holding Company.
Reports by Gambian outlet The Republic later suggested that a businessman involved in the transactions may have made at least $340,000 in profit from reselling the aircraft or their components.
Sources cited by Gambian media also said one of the Air Tractor aircraft was later sold to a U.S. aviation company for $350,000.
Meanwhile, the scrapped remains of two Boeing aircraft remain parked at Banjul International Airport awaiting dismantling.
Sales process raises questions
The disposal of the aircraft has drawn criticism over how the transactions were conducted.
Officials at the Ministry of Finance had proposed creating a public web portal where all Jammeh-linked assets would be listed to attract buyers through an open process.
Shortly before the aircraft were sold, former permanent secretary Lamin Camara told AFP that the government was designing a platform to publicise the assets and invite interested buyers.
“What we are doing is to design a web portal. All the assets will be put there. The information of the vehicles, of the planes, will be posted,” Camara said.
However, the portal was never launched.
Former finance minister Amadou Sanneh later said the aircraft were ultimately sold through direct offers rather than competitive bidding, a process that has since come under scrutiny.
Lawmakers reviewing the transactions say the lack of clear documentation and competitive sales procedures highlights broader governance weaknesses in the recovery of Jammeh-era assets.
The parliamentary committee has recommended stronger transparency measures, urging that future sales of state property be publicly advertised through widely circulated media platforms to ensure accountability and fair value for public assets.
