By Lamin Njie
Abubacarr Tambadou said on Friday he resigned as attorney general and minister justice due to ‘personal reasons’, as he mounted the justice ministry podium for the last time.
At the news conference where he declined to take questions from reporters, Mr Tambadou said “it has been an honour and unique privilege for me to serve my country in such high office under His Excellency President Barrow”.
“I owe him immense gratitude for the privileged opportunity given to me to contribute, even if modestly, to rebuilding our country after 22 years of unquantifiable damage. I am grateful for the trust and confidence he had shown in me by my appointment as the first Attorney General and Minister of Justice in a post-dictatorship new democratic Gambia. I thank him for his constant and continuous support to me and the Ministry of Justice throughout my tenure as AG over the last three and half years. I owe him an eternal debt of gratitude,” Mr Tambadou who has been praised and criticised in equal measure throughout his three and a half years in the role added.
The Fatu Network 2020 Man of the Year said he had resigned since 1 June, meaning the move had been kept under wraps for weeks.
While Mr Tambadou used Friday’s news conference to tout his achievements, he also conceded ‘some things could have been done differently’.
He said: “Indeed, some things could have been done differently. In fact, some things can always be done differently, and there is always room for improvement.
He then added, in a clear riposte to critics: “”But those who are constantly looking for mistakes by this government will always find faults because of the unique circumstances in which we find ourselves as a country in transition.
“We inherited a system of governance where State institutions from the Presidency to the lowest levels were systematically dismantled over a two decade period; and where we found no culture or practice of State protocol in consonance with democratic practice.”
Mr Tambadou in a statement that was read over 40 minutes said a lot has happened over the past three and half years of the Barrow government.
On his part as attorney general, he said: “On my part, I have initiated and delivered on the key pillars of our transitional justice process which has now achieved global recognition by experts as being among the best models in the world particularly for its inclusiveness and originality.
“Some other milestones include the successful gazetting of a new draft constitution without amendment, the establishment of a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission process which is currently underway, the establishment of The Gambia’s first National Human Rights Commission, and the establishment of the Janneh Commission to inquire into the financial corruption of former President Jammeh, and as a result of which the Government has been able to recover over 1.1 billion dalasis so far.
“And in all of these processes, we were able to put together a team of talented and credible Gambians, and I wish to thank them for their service to country.”
