“They Made My Life Miserable”: Gambian Whistleblower Speaks Out Amid Lawsuit and Threats

A former official of The Gambia’s financial crimes commission says he has faced years of harassment and legal threats for exposing alleged misconduct by members of the body tasked with investigating the financial dealings of ex-President Yahya Jammeh, who is accused of looting nearly $1 billion in public funds.

Alhaji Mamadi Kurang, a chartered accountant and former executive secretary of the commission, told the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) that he was dismissed in 2018 after formally reporting potential conflicts of interest, irregularities in evidence handling, and other internal problems.

“I am being intimidated to keep me silent on a matter of public interest,” Kurang said in the interview. “These are powerful people, and they have made my life difficult in many ways for eight years.”

The commission was established in 2017 to investigate corruption and illicit enrichment during Jammeh’s 22-year rule. Following his dismissal, Kurang shared information with OCCRP reporters, contributing to a 2019 investigation titled The Great Gambia Heist, which detailed how Jammeh and his allies allegedly siphoned off a billion U.S. dollars through timber exports, telecom contracts, and foreign aid.

Kurang’s identity as the whistleblower remained unknown for years but he claims that commission members suspected it was him who blew the whistle. He publicly confirmed it was him earlier this year after facing escalating threats and what he described as a campaign of intimidation, including a brief detention in May and a $2.4 million defamation lawsuit filed by Amie Bensouda, the commission’s former lead counsel.

Kurang alleges that she had prior professional ties to state companies investigated by the commission. Bensouda’s office told OCCRP on Monday that when she was appointed to the commission, she disclosed “all relevant professional associations to the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice,” and that “throughout her engagement, there was not a single allegation of conflict of interest by the subjects under investigation nor any witness.”

“On one occasion where our firm was representing a client against a person found by the Commission to be a close associate of Former President Jammeh Mrs. Bensouda proactively recused herself in accordance with established ethical standards,” Abdul Aziz Bensouda, a partner at Amie Bensouda law firm, said in an email.

Bensouda sued Kurang, claiming that he has made numerous “unsubstantiated and defamatory claims” against her. She asked the court to prevent Kurang from publishing his “defamatory” words.

However, whistleblower advocacy groups have rallied behind Kurang. The Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), the Whistleblowing International Network (WIN), and others issued a joint statement Wednesday condemning what they described as alleged retaliatory actions against him.

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“We recognize the public interest issues he raised and affirm our position that individuals who have a reasonable belief they reported truthful evidence of misconduct or mismanagement should be afforded protection from retaliation,” the groups said.

Kurang testified before a parliamentary committee last week, once again accusing Bensouda of conflicts of interest. He said no Gambian lawyers have agreed to represent him, with some privately telling him they fear professional repercussions. “They dare not challenge or face Amie Bensouda in court,” he said.

He also said that while investigating Jammeh-era finances, his home and car were broken into. PPLAAF helped evacuate him to another country at the time, but he says he now wants to remain in Gambia and continue speaking out.

“This time, I want to stay and expose the corruption and fight back,” he said.

Advocacy groups say Kurang’s case highlights broader concerns over whistleblower protections during Gambia’s fragile democratic transition. They urged authorities to ensure due process, end any retaliation, and strengthen protections for those who report misconduct in the public interest.