Johannesburg – After the dramatic departure of Yahiya Jammeh, the former president of The Gambia, following the military intervention of a military force from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) it has been reported that he looted the state’s coffers prior to his forced evacuation.
More than 11 million dollars (R148 million) are missing an advisor to President-elect Adama Barrow, Mai Ahmad Fatty stated, adding that financial experts were busy evaluating the exact loss.
"The coffers are virtually empty. It has been confirmed by technicians in the ministry of finance and the Central Bank of the Gambia,” said Fatty.
Additionally, fancy cars and other luxury goods were seen being loaded on to a Chadian cargo plane on the night Jammeh left the country, the BBC reported Monday morning.
This despite Gambia’s main airport being given strict instructions to prevent Jammeh taking personal belongings on his departure.
Reports are filtering in that the former dictator may currently be in Equatorial Guinea.
Jammeh, who came into power following a 1994 military coup, had repeatedly refused to hand power over to Barrow until the military intervention.
Meanwhile, Barrow remains in neighbouring Senegal, where he was inaugurated last Thursday and where he like thousands of other Gambians fled following the stand-off.
It is uncertain exactly when he will return.
However, West African troops entered the Gambian capital, Banjul, on Sunday where they are controlling strategic points in preparation for Barrow’s arrival.
The new president has vowed to investigate allegations of human rights abuses during Jammeh’s time in office.