US to return $2.5 million to The Gambia after sale of ex-president Jammeh's mansion

The United States has agreed to return $2.5 million to The Gambia - the proceeds of the sale of a property belonging to the country’s former president Yahya Jammeh.

Gambia’s finance minister and US Embassy officials in Banjul signed the agreement on Friday.

The money will go towards a fund for victims of human rights violations committed during Jammeh’s 22-years in office. The Embassy said the return of the funds reflects Washington and Banjul’s shared commitment to combatting corruption and money laundering.

Jammeh’s wife Zineb bought the property in Potomac, Maryland in 2010. It was confiscated 12 years later after US authorities determined it was bought using money obtained through bribes and the embezzlement of public funds.

Jammeh left office in 2017 and has been living in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

On taking office, Gambia’s current president Adama Barrow established a truth and reconciliation commission for the victims of human rights violations committed between 1994 and 2017.