By JarraNewsTV Editorial Board
In recent weeks, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe has made bold headlines with his dramatic denunciation of the National Assembly’s inquiry into the sale of former President Yahya Jammeh’s assets. He has branded the investigation as political theater, dismissed the committee’s work as partisan, and called instead for a “judicial inquiry” led by a High Court Judge.
But in doing so, the veteran lawyer and UDP leader has not only contradicted his own past positions — he has also sought to rewrite the very history that produced this inquiry in the first place.
The Real Origin of This InquiryLet us remind ourselves: the ongoing parliamentary probe was not born out of political malice or partisan vendetta. It was born out of public outrage.
The Janneh Commission, which Darboe now glorifies as a paragon of judicial impartiality, stands accused of serious legal irregularities and procedural excesses in the management and sale of Jammeh’s confiscated assets.
Numerous reports and testimonies indicate that the Commission — dominated by lawyers and judges — overstepped its mandate. It ordered asset sales without proper judicial validation, authorized transfers to politically connected individuals, and allegedly failed to ensure transparent accounting for the proceeds.
The National Assembly’s Select Committee was therefore established not to retry Jammeh’s regime, but to examine the integrity of the Commission’s own actions. If some of those actions amounted to manipulation, abuse of office, or conflict of interest, Parliament has both the constitutional authority and civic duty to investigate them.
Darboe’s Convenient Amnesia
Ousainou Darboe’s sudden defense of the Janneh Commission is as puzzling as it is revealing. Not long ago, the same Darboe publicly questioned the legality of the Commission’s decisions when they targeted individuals close to his own political circle.
Back in 2019, he criticized the sweeping confiscations of private properties, warning that the Commission had become “a court of confiscation rather than of justice.”
Now, as the focus shifts to the Commission’s own conduct — and by extension, the powerful legal elite that led it — Darboe has changed his tune.
What we see today is not a defense of constitutional principle, but a defense of privilege and proximity. His call for a “judicial inquiry” is less about fairness and more about keeping the matter within the comfortable walls of the legal fraternity, where the same actors could once again sit in judgment of themselves.
Parliament Has the Mandate — and the Duty
Darboe’s argument that Parliament is “usurping judicial authority” is legally and constitutionally flawed.
Under Section 109 of The Gambia’s 1997 Constitution, the National Assembly is empowered to investigate any matter of public concern — especially those involving the mismanagement of public property or abuse of authority.
A parliamentary inquiry is not a court. It cannot convict or confiscate. What it can do, and must do, is shine light on wrongdoing, recommend reforms, and ensure that public officials, regardless of status, face accountability.
If the courts have already had their turn — through the Janneh Commission — and left behind a trail of controversy and unanswered questions, then it is Parliament’s turn to act on behalf of the people.
The Politicization Claim Is Pure Projection
In his interviews, Darboe warns about the “politicization” of the inquiry and invokes the so-called “Talib factor,” suggesting that the proceedings are designed to target UDP figures.
This argument collapses under scrutiny.
The Committee’s questioning of Lawyer Amie Bensouda, the former Lead Counsel of the Janneh Commission, is not a political attack — it is a matter of direct responsibility. Bensouda was central to the Commission’s decisions on asset valuation, sale, and legal compliance. Her actions, like those of any other public officer, must withstand scrutiny.
It is disingenuous to shield her behind her son’s political status. Accountability does not become persecution simply because it touches those with political connections. The rule of law must apply evenly — or it does not apply at all.
Transparency, Not Secrecy
Darboe’s call for “in camera” (closed-door) sessions betrays a troubling double standard.
When the Janneh Commission was hauling former Jammeh officials and private citizens before live cameras, Darboe raised no objection. Now that lawyers and judges are the ones facing public questions, he suddenly discovers a love for confidentiality.
If openness was good enough for Jammeh’s ministers, it should be good enough for the Janneh Commission’s operatives. Gambians deserve to witness every step of this process, precisely because secrecy is what allowed injustice to flourish in the first place.
The Real Test: Accountability Without Exception
The parliamentary inquiry into the sale of Jammeh’s assets is more than a political episode — it is a test of our democratic maturity.
For too long, judicial and legal elites have operated above scrutiny, wielding public power without public accountability. The National Assembly’s investigation represents a turning point — an assertion that no office, no title, and no profession is beyond the reach of oversight.
Darboe’s attempt to frame this inquiry as a political circus is, in truth, an effort to shield a professional circle that once acted with unchecked authority. But Gambians are wiser now. They know that justice must not only be seen to be done — it must be seen to be done to everyone, without fear or favor.
Our Take
JarraNewsTV holds that the National Assembly’s Select Committee is operating squarely within its constitutional mandate. The Committee’s mission is to seek truth, expose misconduct, and restore integrity to a process that has long been cloaked in legal mystique.
Ousainou Darboe’s legal grandstanding may play well to partisan audiences, but it collapses before the facts. This inquiry was not launched by politicians seeking revenge; it was compelled by the failures of those who once claimed moral superiority under the guise of legality.
The Gambia does not need fewer inquiries — it needs honest ones, free from both political and professional manipulation.
The people deserve answers, not lectures. They deserve truth, not theater.
JarraNewsTV Editorial Board
“Justice must not protect privilege; it must serve the people.”
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