The Attorney General and Minister of
Justice has said the acts of the former government has enmeshed The Gambia in a
legal liability bill in excess of D2 billion.
Justice Minister Abubacarr Marie Tambedou
made this disclosure yesterday at a press conference held at the Justice
ministry in Banjul.
The new government has inherited several
international cases filed against The Gambia during the former regime, he
revealed.
“You may or may not be aware, but this
government has inherited some international cases which were filed against The
Gambia as a result of the purported acts of the former government.
“Consequently, The Gambia now faces a
potential legal liability bill in excess of two billion dalasis,” Minister
Tambedou told journalists.
He
added that the Ministry of Justice is currently exploring various options for a
“quick resolution of these cases”, so that the nation can resolve them and
focus on the important task of rebuilding and strengthening the country’s
justice system.
He said The Ministry of Justice had also
been in contact with some international organizations, including Article 19,
the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association, and the International Bar Association to seek support for the
justice sector reforms of the new government.
“In consultation with the Ministry of
Information and Communication Infrastructure, we will be reviewing a draft
Memorandum of Understanding on a tripartite partnership between the Ministry of
Justice, the Gambia Press Union and Article 19 in respect of reform of the
media laws in the country.”
He disclosed that the Ministry of Justice
was also able to secure assistance from the International Senior Lawyers
Project in specialised areas of legal practice such as preparing, drafting and
reviewing international commercial agreements, to cover the capacity deficit in
the Ministry in the short term.
“A senior lawyer will be seconded from this
organization to the Ministry very soon at no cost to government,” he said,
adding that the ministry is on the verge of creating the post of Special
Advisor to the Attorney General, whose principal responsibility will be to
provide policy advice on the justice sector reforms envisaged by the ministry.
“The post will be funded by the British
Government and applications will soon be invited from suitably qualified
Gambians to fill the post,” he said.
Capacity building at Ministry
Hon. Tambedou emphasised the need for
capacity building at the Justice ministry, saying they are also exploring other
ways of shoring up capacity at the ministry through donor funding of local
support initiatives.
“We are looking at the possibility of
hiring members of the private bar on contract as a stop gap measure, while the
capacity of existing resources within the Ministry is being strengthened in key
areas.”
In terms of ongoing activities at the
Ministry, he said: “I wish to highlight some of the most urgent ones: The Criminal Case and Detention Review Panel
has already started its work. This panel was established by the Ministry of
Justice in consultation with the Ministry of the Interior to review and advise
the Attorney General regarding the ongoing criminal cases against serving or
former public officers, cases linked to a political activity, and the cases of
all persons awaiting trial in remand.
“The membership of the panel consists of
lawyers from the Ministry of Justice, staff members from the Ministry of the
Interior, a representative from the Gambia Police Force and the Gambia Prison
Service. I have started receiving their recommendations on a rolling basis, and
I will act based on this.”
Establishment of a commission of inquiry
into Jammeh’s financial activities
The minister has also disclosed that his ministry
would soon establish a commission of enquiry to look into financial and
business-related activities of former President Jammeh.
“In consultation with His Excellency the
President and my cabinet colleagues, the Ministry is in the process of finalising
the draft terms of reference for the establishment of a commission of inquiry
to look into the financial and business-related activities of the former
president. The commission is expected to start its work soonest,” he said.
Suspension of contractual agreements
Meanwhile, Minister Tambedou also indicated
that “the Ministry of Justice will soon be writing to all government
departments, agencies and organs” advising them “to suspend all bilateral
contractual engagements with certain identified companies”, pending a review of
the contractual arrangements with them.