President Adama Barrow yesterday swore in members of the commission of enquiry established to look into the financial activities of certain public bodies, enterprises and offices and the accumulation of assets by former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh and his associates.

Commission Chair Surahata S Janneh took the oath before President Barrow, along with commission members Bai Mass Saine, Aboisseh George and secretary Mamadi Kurang. Legal CounselAmie Bensouda was also present.

President Barrow said the appointments were significant. He emphasised that the commission was not established to carry out a witch hunt but rather to investigate numerous allegations of abuse of office, mismanagement of public finances and willful violations of the constitution. He urged the commission members to work hard to provide the state with information that would help address the alleged large-scale misappropriation of public funds.

The President assured the commission members that they would be able to work in an environment of complete transparency and be able to perform their assignment without any interference from government. He said: “Clearly, the provision of credible information and pointers by the public is essential for the success of any commission. I therefore, call upon the public to give this commission the necessary support and collaboration to enable it to perform this difficult task effectively.”

Surahata Janneh assured the President that the commission’s work would be devoid of bias or prejudice. He assured citizens that their interests would be protected when appearing before the commission, and he encouraged everyone with information to come forward.

Justice Minister and Attorney General Abubacarr Marie Tambadou reiterated President Barrow’s assurances of non-interference by government in any of the commission’s work or decisions. He said the government looked forward to receiving the commission’s recommendations at the conclusion of the exercise, three months from July.