The Gambia says it is USD 1bn in debt after theft and mismanagement by ex-leader
GAMBIA - The former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh stole far more money from the state than previously thought, the new government has alleged, leaving the country with a “monstrous debt” of more than USD 1bn. The autocratic former leader of the small West African country siphoned off at least USD 50m from social security, the country’s ports, and the national telecoms company, according to two senior ministers in new president Adama Barrow’s government. Many Gambian pensioners have been refused their pensions or given less than they are entitled to in recent years, despite having worked for the government all their lives. Some receive just USD 5 a month. Jammeh was voted out of office after 22 years in power in December. He initially accepted the election result but changed his mind and refused to leave office or the country. Under intense pressure from other African presidents and a regional military force positioned on the Gambia’s borders with Senegal, he finally fled to Equatorial Guinea in late January, taking a fleet of luxury cars with him. It is unclear where the money allegedly taken by Jammeh is being held, if it has not been spent. Gambian ministers said they were relying on donors to help them pay salaries would pursue Jammeh for the money, even if that meant going to his bolthole. “This is grave. The economy is in severe distress,” said the interior minister, Mai Fatty. “During the impasse I made mention of USD 5m. But that is just a drop in the ocean compared to what the ministry of finance revealed. “This is a reflection of the gross mismanagement of our economy by Yahya Jammeh and his APRC government. Their conduct amounts to total betrayal of the Gambian people, leaving behind them a monstrous debt of 48.3bn dalasis [USD 1bn].
Jammeh made “rampant” use of executive directives to obtain cash from state entities, he said. Close aides including Saul Badjie, commander of the republican guards, would allegedly take these executive directives and use them to make withdrawals.
(TheGuardian.com)