Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Former Gambian Attorney General and Justice Minister Abubacarr M. Tambadou has issued a lengthy open letter demanding a public apology from journalist Mustapha K. Darboe over what he describes as “false and defamatory” allegations published by The Republic in April 2025 regarding the disposal of assets linked to former President Yahya Jammeh.
In the letter dated 18 May 2026, Tambadou accused Darboe and The Republic of maliciously portraying him as corrupt and dishonest in an investigative article titled “The Assets of Gambia’s former dictator go for a song,” which examined the sale and management of Jammeh’s seized assets.
Tambadou rejected allegations that he manipulated a court decision, unlawfully terminated a court-appointed receiver, improperly appointed businessman Alpha Barry as receiver, or personally influenced decisions concerning the sale and repurchase of certain properties linked to the former regime.
He argued that the contested decisions were made collectively by the Cabinet, the Ministerial Taskforce, and other government institutions, rather than by him personally.
“The article conveyed the impression that I acted dishonestly, alone, and without lawful authority, which you knew to be false, or acted with reckless disregard for the truth,” Tambadou wrote.
The former justice minister maintained that he had provided evidence contradicting the allegations before publication, including information from government officials and public records. He accused Darboe of ignoring those explanations and relying on unnamed sources.
Tambadou specifically cited former Foreign Minister Ousainou Darboe and Tourism Minister Hamat Bah as having publicly confirmed that decisions concerning the unfreezing of Tourism Development Area lands and the appointment of receivers were government decisions rather than personal actions taken by him.
He further argued that the Janneh Commission recommendations and the government white paper supported the legality of the actions challenged in the article.
The former attorney general accused Darboe of conducting irresponsible journalism and failing to adequately verify information before publication.
“To publish or cause the publication of an ‘investigative report’ about corruption without adequate or proper research or understanding of the facts is the height of irresponsible journalism,” Tambadou stated.
Despite his criticism, Tambadou stressed that he remains a supporter of press freedom and recalled his role in pushing for media law reforms, including the repeal of criminal defamation and sedition laws, during his tenure in government.
He said the publication had caused severe reputational damage, emotional distress, and public hostility toward him and his family.
According to him, the fallout from the article triggered online abuse, public protests, and even petitions opposing his candidacy for a judgeship at the International Court of Justice.
Tambadou also accused Darboe of acting with ulterior motives by allegedly giving him only one week to respond to allegations after spending two years investigating the story while publishing the article on the same date as the response deadline.
In emotional passages throughout the letter, Tambadou expressed disappointment in Darboe, whom he described as one of the promising young Gambian journalists to emerge after the 2016 democratic transition.
He compared the experience to betrayal, invoking the famous phrase “Et tu, Brute?” from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
The former attorney general defended his public service record, highlighting his role in The Gambia’s transitional justice process following Jammeh’s fall from power in 2016 and his past work defending human rights under the former regime.
Tambadou demanded that Darboe publicly apologize within 14 days, retract or remove the allegedly defamatory portions of the article, and ensure corrections are disseminated through the same platforms that carried the original publication, including radio stations and television networks such as GRTS and QTV.
He warned that failure to comply would leave him with no option but to conclude that the publication was “deliberate, intentional, malicious, and calculated” to tarnish his image and reputation.
Copies of the letter were also addressed to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the Minister of Information, the National Human Rights Commission, the Gambia Bar Association, the Gambia Press Union, and the National Media Council.
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