In his opening remarks, VP Jallow said his government reiterates its commitment to prioritising the rule of law, good governance, and accountability.
“Several legislations aimed at transforming the legal environment have been tabled before the National Assembly and successfully enacted into law,” he stated, adding: “These include the Victims Reparations Act, the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act, The Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, The Labour Act, and the Anti-Corruption Act. These laws address issues such as effective reparations to victims, ending impunity, creating a fairer labour market, fighting corruption, and upholding the rule of law.”
He further noted that the recent trials in foreign jurisdictions, such as the sentencing of Bai Lowe by a German Court for crimes against humanity, demonstrate the commitment to holding perpetrators accountable, regardless of their location.
“The government has approved the gazetting and tabling of two vital bills, the Special Prosecutors Office Bill (SPO) and the Special Accountability Bill, complementing the proposed hybrid court for trying crimes against humanity on Gambian soil,” he disclosed.
He reaffirmed that the rule of law is “not under threat in The Gambia, and my administration is committed to its preservation and growth within the democratic principles on which our nation thrives.”
For his part, Hon Chief Justice, Hassan B. Jallow, highlighted that since its inception in 1982, the occasion or ceremony provides them the opportunity to celebrate justice and the rule of law in the community, reflect on the challenges in its application and together chart a way forward to address these challenges.
“The judiciary started the 2023 legal year with a carry-over of 5810 cases from 2022. In 2023 a further 5,639 cases were filed across all courts bringing our total case load in 2023 to 11,449 cases,” he said, adding: “In the course of 2023 a total of 5,273 cases i.e. 46% from this case load were disposed of. We have thus started 2024 with a load of 6176 cases.”
He urged for the deployment of combined different but complementary strategies for the speedier disposal of cases. Provision of adequate human and other resources to the judiciary is essential to enable the judiciary function efficiently, he pointed out.
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dawda A. Jallow, expressed gratitude to The Gambia Police Force for their unwavering commitment to combating crimes in the country.
“Serving as primary line of defence, the police operate diligently under challenging conditions to fulfill their mandate of detecting and investigating crime while prosecuting offenses summarily in the subordinate courts.”
He said his ministry is committed to upholding Justice and aborting crime in the country.
