Deputy Commissioner Fatty wants a declaration from the Court that the termination of his appointment from the Gambia Police Force on the 2nd of October 2024 by the Public Service Commission is unlawful. He also wants an order directing his immediate reinstatement to his position and rank in the Gambia Police Force.
Fatty is also demanding D5 million (Five million dalasis) in damages for “wrongful” termination.
This comes following the circulation of an anonymous petition against the IGP and his management purportedly written by Fatty. The petition questioned the IGP’s leadership in exciting reforms in the Police since assuming the role of the head of the institution.
However, while appearing in court on behalf of the IGP, AIG Bah testified that the plaintiff, Fatty’s petition against the IGP was not without malice, a smear campaign, baseless and containing fabrications calculated to tarnish the good image of the IGP.
AIG Bah said the plaintiff had no intention of revealing himself until the investigating team called him out, regarding the petition.
“The IGP was personally determined to fish out the masked man behind such a baseless falsehood, malicious and anonymous petition,” he said.
He said during the investigation to unmask the person behind the petition, Fatty was placed on administrative leave during the preliminary investigation for gross misconduct towards his superior officers, which was commenced by the Personnel Management Office (PMO), sometime in July and was followed by an in-depth investigation by the Public Service Commission (PSC).
“The letter from the Personnel Management Office (PMO) dated 13th August 2024 was in line with the usual procedure adopted by the PMO, in situations of this nature, to allow investigation to be conducted on the perceived infringement of the rules governing the service, without any interference from anybody,” AIG Bah told the court.
AIG Bah said that the plaintiff had no authority of his own to choose and pick what orders or duties he wished to obey or undertake as an officer in the Gambian police force. He said as a serving officer, Fatty was subject to service regulations, policy decisions and trajectory of the entire management of the force.
AIG Bah further told the court that the plaintiff, Fatty, as an individual, has no right or authority to question any action or decision of the IGP and his management team, by such a “spurious” petition as he did.
“The Gambian Police Force reforms are not a single man's show, for the plaintiff or any member of the Force to dictate to the 1st Defendant, or his management team to implement any decision, but a collective responsibility of the IGP, his management team and the entire Police force,” he said.
AIG Bah said Fatty’s motive as expressed in most of the paragraphs of his affidavit clearly portrays him as a person on a “wild goose chase”, for his own “self-aggrandisement” and nothing more.
AIG Bah said the plaintiff took his decision to petition the IGP without first counting the cost.
“The Court will act judiciously and judicially in determining this suit,” he said.
