Janneh Commission branded ‘puppet’ of Justice Ministry

When asked directly by the Commission’s Counsel Dibba about whether she believed the Commission was effectively controlled by the Ministry, Sarr responded with a firm and unequivocal “yes”.

Testifying before the National Assembly’s Special Select Committee on the Sale and Disposal of Assets identified by the Janneh Commission, Sarr revealed that she joined the Commission at its inception as Deputy Secretary. However, she clarified that she was initially based at the Ministry of Justice, where she was responsible for processing payments for the Commission.

“In July 2018, I was appointed as Secretary following the termination of Mr Kurang, and that was when I moved to the Commission,” Sarr stated. She explained that her initial appointment came via verbal instruction from then minister of Justice, Ba Tambadou, who informed her that she had been appointed as Assistant Secretary. A formal letter later followed, issued by then Solicitor General Cherno Marena.

When asked whether her appointment was gazetted, Sarr responded in the negative. “When I asked for my appointment letter, the former Justice Minister said it was an internal arrangement, as I was not appointed by the President,” she said. “I thought I was going to assume the position of Secretary based on the letter, but when I reported to the Commission, I was referred to as Assistant Secretary.”

She added that Tambadou personally informed her of Kurang’s termination of appointment and instructed her to take over his role. Although she was reporting to the Solicitor General, she only visited the Commission occasionally, primarily to handle payment-related matters.

Pressed by counsel on whether she understood the role of the Commission, Sarr affirmed that she did, stating that she was the head of the Secretariat. However, she admitted that she was never issued a Terms of Reference (TOR), which contributed to the confusion surrounding her role.

“I was verbally instructed to assume the role of Assistant Secretary after Kurang left, but I had no TOR. I only carried out instructions based on guidance from the Chairperson,” she said.

Sarr also acknowledged receiving honorarium prior to her formal appointment, defending the practice by noting her involvement in preparing payments for the Commission. She maintained that she never took instructions from Kurang during her time as Deputy Secretary.

Counsel further questioned the legitimacy of her appointment, pointing out that the letter she referred to as her appointment letter was not addressed to her, but rather to the Chairman of the Commission. Sarr agreed, stating, “I found it very abnormal because it was not addressed to me.”

She also discussed the handling of correspondence within the Secretariat, noting that while some letters were routed through the Secretariat, others were sent directly to the Lead Counsel.