FJA 2019 / Shortlist

Category: Outstanding Investigative Reporting

Khadija Sharife, Mark Anderson (South Africa)

The Great Gambia Heist: How Yahya Jammeh Stole a Country

March 27, 2019

OCCRP

Gambia’s former President Yahya Jammeh orchestrated the embezzlement of nearly US$1 billion of public funds and illegal timber revenue during his 22-year rule, looting the treasury in a long-running conspiracy that crippled one of the world’s poorest countries.

While president of the compact West African state of 2 million, Jammeh frequently drove his black stretch Hummer from his official residence in Banjul, the capital, to a lavish private estate in his home village of Kanilai.

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