His Lordship Assan B. Jallow made this call at the recent opening of the 2025 legal year held at the High Court in Banjul.
“We have conveyed our observations as regard to some provisions in the draft relating to the administration of justice which in our view can impact on the rule of law and independence of the judiciary.”
“Accordingly, we have submitted recommendations for amendments to the draft, which in our view, will help us as a nation strengthen the framework for good governance and we appeal for a favorable consideration of our recommendations by all those engaged in the constitution making process.”
As the country’s 25th Legal Year opens and celebrations marking its Diamond Jubilee, CJ Jallow maintained that the judiciary is greatly conscious of the great governance enterprise on which the nation has embarked that is the proposed adoption of a new constitution for The Gambia.
“A constitution is the most important legal instrument for any nation. When properly drafted, it can provide an enduring framework for effective government, for good governance, for peace and for progress. The Judiciary welcomes efforts in this direction, it cannot be oblivious to this process but not only is the judiciary a stakeholder, it occupies an important role in the constitution drafting process, with the Chief Justice or his representative being the chairperson of the constitution drafting committee. In this context, the judiciary has reviewed the current 2024 draft constitution which is before the National Assembly.”
“Our collective commitment to justice, rule of law and the strong democratic values will take the nation to where we want to see,” he added.
