Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The government of The Gambia has officially withdrawn the nomination of Mr. Abubacarr M. Tambadou as the country’s candidate for election as a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2026, following weeks of public uproar over alleged corruption and conflict of interest linked to his tenure as Attorney General.
The Point newspaper on Thursday reported that the government’s decision was prompted by the reverberation of events surrounding Mr. Tambadou’s role in the management and sale of assets seized from former President Yahya Jammeh and his associates.
These allegations, first exposed by online media outlet The Republic, cast doubt over Tambadou’s suitability for the ICJ—widely regarded as the world’s top judicial body.
At the heart of the controversy is Tambadou’s oversight of the Janneh Commission, which probed Jammeh’s financial dealings. Critics argue that the asset recovery process lacked transparency, with questions swirling over the sale and disposal of key properties and funds.
Responding to the allegations, Tambadou—who served as Attorney General from 2017 to 2020—denied any wrongdoing, saying, “Throughout my time as Attorney General, I have never misled the public about anything.” He also urged the government to publicly release all details of the seized assets.
However, the controversy quickly spiraled into a national crisis, with youth-led protests demanding full accountability and a transparent accounting of the Jammeh assets. In response, the government released a partial list of the assets and their disposal records, but calls for a thorough investigation persisted.
Amid growing political pressure, the National Assembly established a select committee to probe the matter, with expectations high that Tambadou may be summoned to testify in a public hearing.
Government insiders say it became increasingly clear that Tambadou’s ICJ candidacy would be overshadowed by the scandal, prompting officials to pull the plug on his nomination.
Observers see the government’s decision as an attempt to contain the fallout and signal a renewed commitment to transparency and accountability.
Tambadou’s withdrawal marks a sharp reversal for a legal figure once seen as Gambia’s best hope for a seat on the ICJ. His distinguished career includes high-profile roles such as Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Attorney General and Minister of Justice of The Gambia, and currently, Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), a post he holds with the rank of UN Assistant Secretary-General since 2020.
Until the scandal broke, his nomination had been gaining momentum both at home and abroad.
Now, with his candidacy officially abandoned, the government faces a fresh test in balancing its international ambitions with growing domestic demands for accountability and justice.
