PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS ON THE OCCASION
OF THE STATE OPENING OF THE NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY – BANJUL, 24THJULY, 2017

Honourable Minister of Women’s Affairs Overseeing
the Office of the Vice President,
Madam Speaker,
His Lord the Chief Justice,
Honourable Ministers,
Secretary General & Head of the Civil Service,
Lord Mayor of Banjul,
Honourable Members of the National Assembly,
Venerable Religious Leaders,
Service Chiefs,
Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps,
Members of the Media,
Fellow Gambians,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
​2

I stand before you with great humility today at this
historic opening of our National Assembly in the era of
the ‘New Gambia.’

Together, we have ushered the New Gambia into a
world of hope – a world we shall jealously guard to
preserve the freedom and dignity of our people. Never
again shall this nation return to those dark days of
impunity, obvious disregard for constitutional order or
be globally isolated. This is an achievement that we
should not take lightly. I thank Allah for this blessing
and also seek his continued guidance and strength to
serve you well in the coming years.

The spirit of unity that brought us last December’s
historic election outcome continues to drive the nation
forward, which is evident in the business of our new
Cabinet. Indeed, we see this spirit of unity every day
across the nation as we strive together to build the New
Gambia that we want and deserve.

The most important achievement so far is the peaceful
transition of power to our new democracy. This short
period has seen the inauguration of a President, the
appointment of a new Cabinet and the election of a
new National Assembly.

My fellow Gambians

You have elected the government that you want, and
we have taken your expressions of goodwill and your
desire for peace and prosperity seriously. We have thus
begun the task of steadily reforming the government
machinery so it can do the work of nation building and
help strengthen our new found democracy that we have
wanted for so long.

I want to offer my thanks to the Economic Community
of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union,
the United Nations, the European Union, the World
Bank, and all our international partners for their
invaluable support in this historic transition. They too

have worked with us in the spirit of unity and
cooperation to serve the New Gambia.
They have all moved swiftly to help stabilise this
nation through support with security and human and
financial resources. I know we can count on their
continued support particularly to overcome the dire
financial situation that we inherited. But ultimately, we
Gambians must forge our way along the path of
democracy and prosperity. I am proud to say that we
are already well on our way in these first few months
of our administration.

We have got a lot to do in 2017 and beyond and as I
have always said, this is going to be a government of
action. Our immediate priority is to fix the continuous
energy problem as well as the broken economy, unify
the nation, improve health and agricultural sub-sectors,
end the country’s isolation and introduce robust
institutional, electoral and constitutional reforms in
line with our new democratic principles that will
respond to the realities of our time. This has to be done
​5

in tandem with reforms in the Civil Service and
security sector as well as State Owned Enterprises.

A Peaceful Transition

Our most important achievement so far is the peaceful
transition of power to this new democracy. As
mentioned earlier, we are indebted to ECOWAS, the
AU, the UN, the EU, the World Bank, the IMF and
other international partners for their support. They
have all moved quickly to help stabilise our country
with the help of security, human and financial
resources.

As the saying goes charity begins at home, so we must
acknowledge that we Gambians are to be commended
for initiating the change that brought us the New
Gambia. We shall continue to build our country
together.

Justice and Judiciary

While we have restored some of the key democratic
institutions, the pursuit of justice remains a high
priority for my government. Indeed, we still have a lot
to do despite the progress made so far. Over 500
prisoners have been pardoned and we have delivered
on our promise to decongest prisons by releasing
political and other deserving reformed prisoners.

A Criminal Case and Detention Review Panel has also
been established to enquire into all criminal
proceedings against current and former public officers
and the panel has uncovered cases linked to political
activity, and persons remanded and awaiting trial. We
have recently and carefully concluded the work on the
setting up of a Commission of Inquiry to look into the
financial and business-related activities of the former
President and his associates. The members of the
Commission chaired by Surahata Semega Janneh have

been announced and the Commission will start work
shortly.
Additionally, our Judiciary has been ‘Gambianised’
with the appointment of a Gambian Chief Justice and
six Superior Court justices.

We also held a successful National Stakeholders’
Conference on Justice and Human Rights in May and
the forum provided a unique opportunity for inclusive
dialogue and consultations on key justice sector
reforms, including plans for the setting up of a Truth
and Reconciliation Commission.

My government has received and continues to benefit
from genuine and solid support provided by the UN in
the area of transitional justice and the setting up of this
Commission.

Security and Defence

In the area of security and defence, we are grateful for
the support of the ECOWAS Mission in the Gambia.
The ECOMIG forces were especially instrumental in
helping to secure our democratic transition. The
government is working on reforming the security
sector which is closely linked to the delivery of justice
and the restoration of our free and fair democracy.

Gone are the days of armed security personnel
representing the face of government. The Gambian
Armed Forces are now confined to their military
barracks. Members of the former State Guard Battalion
have been redeployed to other units, and the armed
forces are now disengaged from civilian matters. It is
also important to note that arms and ammunitions have
been stored in safe locations.

We must, however, applaud our gallant Armed Forces,
who have been receptive to the normalisation of their
role in the state, and have conducted themselves with
maximum professionalism. They continue to play a
critical role in keeping our nation safe and secure, and
deserve our unconditional support and respect as they
carry out their professional duties.

To ensure that our military remain effective and
professional, we plan to set up an infantry centre and
school, as well as a military academy to train our
officers and other personnel in all aspects of military
science.

The former National Intelligence Agency, now the
State Intelligence Service, has been restructured to
focus on its core activity of intelligence gathering and
analysis to ensure the safety and security of us all.

Information and Communications

In the area of information and communications, we
have taken concrete steps to review oppressive media
laws, to ensure freedom of the press and freedom of
expression. These are founding pillars of any strong
democracy, and my government has moved quickly to
reinstate three private radio shows that were illegally
shut down. All these efforts will enhance the quality,
the scope and the openness of information, news and
the media throughout our country. It is reassuring to
now hear and see debates on divergent views expressed
freely on radio, on television and in our newspapers.

In one of my recent cabinet meetings we agreed, as an
immediate priority, on the need to put in place a
communications strategy that will facilitate regular
communication and engagements with the public. New
communications measures have been introduced to
include regular press briefings by the media team at the
Office of the President, by the Minister of Information
​11

and Communication Infrastructure, and bi-annual news
conferences by myself.
Energy

Turning to the energy sector, let me start by restating
the urgency that I attach to resolving the power supply
issues across the nation. Electricity is power – the
power to support education and learning, the power to
run life-saving health facilities, and the power for
businesses to create jobs and grow the economy.

I came into office to find significant challenges in the
energy sector, as is evident in frequent power outages.
Electric power is one of the most basic services that
people need for a decent quality of life, and the lack of
it greatly affects the net national productivity and lives
of the people.

To meet these challenges and tackle our acute power
shortage, my government has made it a priority from

day one, to work with international partners, investors
and developers to attract investments in the energy
sector.

Some of the negotiations are at a very advanced stage.
We recently signed an agreement for a new
60-megawatt power plant, which will more than double
the current generation capacity in the country. It will
deliver adequate and stable electric power supply in the
whole of the Greater Banjul Area. I am also happy to
report that the proposal to acquire electricity from our
sister Republic of Senegal is well advanced.

It is worthy to note that this cross-border connection is
a short-term measure to boost the energy supply,
especially in the rural areas.

Madam Speaker,

Regarding the petroleum sub-sector over the past 22
years, Gambians have either been left in the dark or
seriously misinformed about petroleum prospects.

My government will be transparent and honest about
the state of petroleum, and should there be positive
results, we are committed to governing the sector with
total transparency and accountability.

Exploration and research are at an advanced stage, and
while we are hopeful, we must wait for the process of
exploration to take its course.

Trade and Foreign Affairs

Fellow Gambians,

By exercising your democratic right last December,
you helped us usher in a new Gambia that is more open
to the world and a better neighbour within our region.
We now have a country that will benefit from greater
openness through international trade and tourism.

Since my inauguration, it is clear that the world
appreciates The Gambia and wants to engage with us.
We have already seen an increase in the volume of
cargo at the Port of Banjul as well as a rise in vehicular
traffic using the ferry services. Furthermore, there has
been a clear boost in the flock of new investors
exploring opportunities in our country.

We have also been honoured with many visits by
foreign dignitaries from the EU, the UN, the UK and
from our own ECOWAS neighbours. I have equally
been humbled by invitations from fellow world
leaders.

The Gambia has begun the process of rejoining the
Commonwealth, and reaffirmed our membership to the
International Criminal Court. We have welcomed the
decision by ECOWAS to extend ECOMIG’s tenure, all
of which demonstrates our commitment to embrace
regional and global institutions in the name of open
and collaborative international relations.

Relations with our neighbour Senegal have been
transformed positively. We now meet as strategic
partners who recognise the mutual benefit of closer
cooperation. Within the first 100 days of our period in
office, our countries signed several key agreements on
defence and security, tourism, fisheries and consular
assistance.

As a small economy, The Gambia has much to gain
from more efficient trade across our borders with
Senegal and beyond. Going forward, my Cabinet and I

will work to make the most of these opportunities, to
boost our economy and create jobs for Gambians.

Already, the National Assembly ratified a crucial
World Trade Organisation (WTO) trade facilitation
agreement. This is an agreement that will make The
Gambia a more attractive export destination for our
trading partners. I am proud to announce that my
Minister of Trade has since signed a letter of
agreement with China for duty free trade between our
two nations.

This will remove the need for costly trans-shipment of
Gambian exports to China through a third country. It
will also make our goods more competitive, and boost
our export potential to the world’s largest market.

A legal metrology bill will soon be brought to the floor
of the National Assembly. The bill will, among other
things, address consumer protection relevant to legal
metrology functions.

International Financial Affairs and Public finances

Fellow Gambians, my government took office to
discover that the Treasury was virtually empty and
domestic and foreign debts at an all-time high. The
foreign reserve at the Central Bank was less than one
month import cover, and the economic and governance
situation had become so bad that our international
development partners had deserted us.

To address this crisis, my government in January 2017
developed the Accelerated National Response Plan
which seeks technical and financial support from our
development partners to help mitigate the economic
and fiscal crisis in the short-term.

We are grateful to our international partners, who have
responded swiftly and continue to respond to this call
for support.

The European Union has made a significant financial
commitment. It is disbursing frozen funds and
committing new funds to support the development
agenda of the New Gambia. The World Bank has
already provided vital emergency budget support and
we are in the final stages of concluding a Rapid Credit
Facility Agreement with the IMF who have agreed to a
staff monitored programme to stabilise the economy
and public finances. This will include the reform of
public enterprises such as the National Water and
Electricity Corporation, (NAWEC) and
telecommunications entities GAMTEL and GAMCEL.
Youth

In order to take full advantage of the impending
financial and economic opportunities, we need to
prepare our youth today for a vibrant labour force
tomorrow. After all, the bedrock of our country’s very
existence is our youth. This is why the Ministry of
Youth and Sports is tasked to create various capacity

and employment initiatives to enable our young people
to form the much-needed human capital that will drive
the country’s development agenda.

In our first 100 days, a new Youth Empowerment
Project initiative supported by the EU was launched at
the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration
and Employment. The objective of this project is to
improve the skills of potential youth workers and
prepare them, especially returning young migrants for
the labour market.

Through the President’s International Award
Scheme, 60 youths were recently enrolled to undergo
skills training in a range of technical and vocational
areas like auto-mechanics, carpentry and secretarial
work.

It is encouraging to note that the National Youth
Council coordinates the civic education programme.
This is aimed at mobilising our youth to participate in

politics, and to assume their rightful role in the
country’s development process. The Council has
helped craft a youth agenda for government’s
consideration, and is working closely with the
International Organisation for Migration to support
returnees and potential migrants to acquire livelihood
skills in horticulture and poultry.

The Council is also helping young people in
Busumbala, Baddibu Salikenni, and Kuntaur to acquire
skills in poultry farming. Similarly, it is helping young
people in Wuli to acquire skills in horticulture.
These capacity building initiatives also sensitise young
people to the dangers of illegal migration to Europe.

Agriculture

In agriculture, we expect to make critical development
gains from improving the skills of our youth and
encouraging them to participate in agriculture. At the
moment, agricultural productivity is low, and this

limits the benefits to the nation in terms of jobs,
livelihoods and government revenue.

In addition to youth training, the Ministry of
Agriculture has begun a programme of support to
farmers and farming businesses to improve seed input,
modernise cropping and ploughing techniques, and
enhance planning in the face of climate change and
other hazards to agriculture. Already, vegetable seeds
have been distributed to 11,200 farmers as well as
22,500 kilogrammes of rice seeds to intensify rice
production. High quality fertilizer and groundnut
seeds have also been made available to farmers at
subsidised prices.
Fisheries

As well as maximising the economic potential of our
agricultural sub-sector, we have begun to develop
fisheries as a source of food security, jobs and
economic growth.

During the first 100 days of my Presidency, the
Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National
Assembly Matters and the Ministry of Justice reviewed
the country’s 2008 fisheries regulations to make it
more relevant to our current realities.

Considering that our industrial fisheries sector has
been dormant for over twenty years, we expect that the
amendment of these regulations will contribute to the
sustainable conservation and management of the
fisheries sector. It will also enhance food security for
all Gambians and contribute to poverty reduction
through employment creation.

Tourism

Our historic political transition took place during the
peak of the tourist season. Tourism contributes
significantly to GDP and it is a critical source of
employment and government revenue, as tourists are
naturally drawn to our warm and friendly shores.

We have begun to re-engage our key markets but we
still have a lot to do to sell our New Gambia brand to
the world. We intend to realise the full potential of
tourism as a source of employment, livelihoods and
prosperity for our nation.

The implementation of new strategies to enhance
culture, tradition and the arts as channels for new
tourist inflows is already underway. The major craft
markets at Bungalow Beach Hotel and Fajara Hotel
have already been upgraded.

Community-based tourism endeavours, such as the one
in Ndemban in the West Coast Region, have been
developed with the support of the Ministry of Tourism
and Culture.

Environment and climate change

In support of environmental protection and tourism in
the country, my government has put in place the right
policies and programmes to protect our environment
and combat the effects of climate change.

In our first 100 days, we reversed an executive order of
the previous government to destroy the forest park in
Bijilo with the construction of a hotel on the park
grounds. We have normalised the environmental
impact assessment process with clear guidelines in
accordance with due process, with full transparency, to
give investors more confidence in the system.

My government will continue to monitor to ensure that
existing investors respect the agreed guidelines to
protect our environment.

My government has also mobilised additional
resources to support environmental protection. We
have re-engaged with the Global Environment Facility
and we will access US$6 million that had previously
been withheld.

The Forestry Bill 2017, which seeks to put in place the
necessary legal framework for the management of our
forest resources, will come to this Assembly shortly for
enactment. We shall enforce it rigorously to protect and
preserve our already degraded and vulnerable forest
cover. This is necessary, not only to preserve our
precious natural resources, but also to mitigate against
the adverse effects of climate change.

Water

Within the first 100 days of my government, we have
made important progress in expanding access to safe
drinking water and improved sanitation in rural areas.

On the 9th of April, with a grant from the Saudi Fund
for Development, my government signed a contract for
the construction of 25 drilled wells, equipped with
solar pumps. The contract also provides for 25 elevated
water tanks, and associated water distribution systems.
This US$6 million project will improve water supply
in rural areas by providing safe drinking water with
easy to operate systems.

In March 2017, the Department of Water Resources
completed the construction of 950 ventilated improved
pit latrines out of a planned 1,000 nationwide. The
Ministry is currently installing tanks, laying water
pipes and building pre-cast tap stands in various
communities across the country.

Many of these facilities are either complete or nearing
completion. At the end of this project, over 65,000
people in rural areas will have access to safe drinking
water and 44,000 will have access to improved toilet
facilities.

Health

Madam Speaker,

Improvements to water quality are linked to health
outcomes across the country. Alongside providing
people with safe drinking water and sanitation, my
government, through the Ministry of Health, is scaling
up its efforts to improve our health delivery systems,
especially for women and children. As a first step, we
have obtained additional assets to support primary
health care provision in the country. This includes 800
pedal bicycles and 29 motorbikes for Village Health
Workers and Community Health Nurses across the
country’s seven health regions.

I am pleased to report that the World Bank has
approved US$7 million in additional funding for the
Maternal and Child Health as well as the Nutrition
Result Project. My government has also submitted a
proposal to the EU to enhance food security. We
would welcome their support to help us treat acute
malnutrition and prevent all forms of under-nutrition.

With more than 95 percent coverage, we are also
getting support from the Global Alliance for Vaccine
Initiative (GAVI) to help us consolidate our strong
track record on child immunisations. This project,
estimated at US$4.6 million will help strengthen and
enhance our immunisation systems.

Education

For basic and secondary education, I am proud to say
we have reached agreement with development partners
for over US$50 million worth of investment to expand
and improve education for our next generation.
With the help of the Kuwaiti Fund, we are upgrading
39 upper basic and senior secondary schools. This will
see the building of additional classrooms, the
rehabilitation of existing ones, as well as information
technology and solar power solutions. We will install
new furniture and educational facilities in our schools,
including science laboratories, and there will be a new
teaching curriculum. With support from the World
Bank and the Global Partnership for Education, we are
building on existing programmes to enhance access to
quality basic education, including early childhood
education.

Administration and Civil Service

Madam Speaker,

While initiating our policy and reform agenda, we have
also been reforming ourselves within government. We
inherited a highly politicised regional administrative
system. It was presided over by governors who owed
their allegiance to the APRC.
Offices of regional governors were being run more as
political bureaus rather than serving the grassroots
within their localities. As such, scarce national
resources were being used for political propaganda
activities.

To improve governance and stop wasting resources,
my government appointed five new governors, whose
terms of reference clearly exclude them from engaging
in partisan politics. We have encouraged them to
follow proper civil service conduct, which embodies
neutrality and impartiality in performing their
functions.

In normalising the civil service, we have established a
panel to review the wrongful dismissal of civil servants
and other government officials between September
1997 and December 2016. Since its creation, the panel
has cleared over 100 employees, allowing them to be
reinstated. At the same time, the civil service has
expanded rapidly by over 40 percent since 2007.
Consequently, almost half of the government budget is
spent on civil service wages and benefits.
This not only limits government’s ability to provide the
necessary budget to improve the socio-economic status
of its citizens, but also makes it difficult to improve the
salary of civil servants. This is one of the key
challenges in attracting and retaining skilled
professionals.

In response, my government has tasked the Personnel
Management Office to conduct a comprehensive
nationwide staff audit for the entire civil service. This
began on the 27th of March 2017. For the first time, this
audit included the security forces – the Army, Police,
​Immigration, Prisons, Fire and Rescue Service, and the
State Intelligence Service.

The objectives of the audit exercise include the
identification and elimination of ghost workers, the
recovery of wrongful salaries and the updating of
personnel records.

Let me proudly acknowledge the support that my
government received from our UN partners in the area
of administrative reform. During this transition period,
the UN System has provided support to strengthen
government capacity and they have been assisting us in
the formulation of our National Development Plan, as
well as security sector reform.

It is also important to report that as part of the reform,
my own office which was directly coordinating and
supervising a huge number of public enterprises and
other state agencies under the former government has
been de-congested and those institutions streamlined
with their line ministries.

In Conclusion

While we have taken this opportunity to reflect on how
far we have progress as a nation in just a few short
months, let us not be mistaken, we have a huge
long-term task ahead.

This includes but not limited to:
●Continuing to rebuild and nurture our young
democracy for inclusive socio-economic
development;
●Providing economic opportunities for all; and
●Reforming the institutions of government to
ensure improved service delivery for our people.

These tasks are not without challenges, but I am
confident that none of them are impossible to
overcome. I am happy and privileged to have this great
opportunity to lead our great nation to prosperity. But
we must learn from the experience of others.

We must be disciplined, follow the plan and stay
committed to that plan. So in pursuing our vision for
the New Gambia, my government will continue to
focus our time and resources on a clear agenda. We
shall create a foundation on which future progress will
be built.

I commit to you to pursue this agenda with greater
transparency and accountability – more than ever
before. I will continue to update you on progress
throughout the year. This is a new government and a
new era, and as your President, I am here to serve the
Gambian people.

And now, by the powers vested in me as President, it is
my pleasure and privilege to declare this historic
session of our National Assembly in the new Gambia
formally open.

Thank you.
​

The interim leader of the opposition APRC has said the former ruling party will not repeat mistakes made under former President Jammeh.

“Another APRC leadership in government will not repeat the mistakes made under the leadership of former President Jammeh. I want to emphasise that, this is a new group of leaders, we are not soldiers but civilians who are interested in the development of this country,” he said at a press conference recently.

He said recent comments from a sitting National Assembly member demanding for the APRC to be banned should not be entertained in a democratic state.

“The current APRC leadership is with the conviction that, selective justice is unacceptable in a democratic state,” Jatta said.

He further stated that the Coalition Government should stop being “paranoid” about the APRC and its former leader President Jammeh and focus on their developing the country.

“We want the Coalition Government to expeditiously put up measures to curb the growing rate of armed robbery, rape and murder especially in the Greater Banjul Area and stop the blame game on the former government,” he said.

He said the Coalition Government came on a platform of a “New Gambia”, which will ensure democracy, rule of law and protection of fundamental rights with lot of other promises.

“Therefore, we demand that they fulfill their campaign promises and stop the rhetoric about APRC and Jammeh. As far as the promise by the new government Gambians are expecting the creation of youth employment, price reduction of basic commodities, for example, a bag of rice to cost D500, free visa for our youths, reliable and efficient electricity supply and the introduction of presidential term limits among others,” he added.

He said the government has also failed in its promise to protect Gambians’ fundamental rights including freedom of association, assembly and expression.

“The government since taking over, has not fulfilled any of its promises, even the provision of seed nuts, farming implements and fertiliser to farmers. It should be noted that the distributed fertilizer were the APRC government leftovers,” he alleged.

He said the new APRC leadership demands the new government to immediately appoint a vice president and immediately launch an independent investigation in to the death of Haruna Jatta.

“We also call on the Coalition Government to immediately drop all politically motivated charges against APRC members such as the Kanilai peaceful demonstrators and those arrested during the victory celebration in Sibanor and demilitarise the Fonis especially Kanilai.

“While urging government to focus on fulfilling these promises and demands rather than being paranoid about APRC and Jammeh. We wish to be on record to say that the APRC and all its membership believed and accepts that President Barrow is the current president of The Gambia.”
He also disclosed that the party is currently looking for new political bureau.

Source: Standard Newspaper

Observer Company, the publisher of one of the country’s leading newspapers, Daily Observer, has been confronting problems galore since the beginning of the second quarter of this year.
Amidst allegations of financial malfeasance, staff salaries have been paid late and many creditors have served pay-up notes. Then on June 14, the national tax authority (GRA) closed the paper for two weeks and demanded the payment of D17 million arrears.

After the statutory 14 days passed, the paper resumed publication but the head of GRA earlier this week told the press they are suing the newspaper company for a final determination on the recovery of the tax liabilities.

This same week, the Gambia Press Union, which has been brokering negotiations between the GRA and Observer Company, issued a public statement condemning the “incorrigible behaviour” of the Observer management and demanding a public clarification about the ownership of the company.

The managing director of Observer, Pa Modou Mbowe had publicly stated when asked at the beginning of Observer’s current travails in June that he does not know who owns the company he heads.

Yesterday, the Justice minister announced that government will be seeking a court order this morning to add the company to an ever-expanding list of assets belonging to the former President Jammeh.

The ownership of Observer has been a vexed question for many Gambians and media watchers.
The general perception has been that it was owned by the former president, Yahya Jammeh. However, when the list of his assets which were frozen was earlier released, Observer Company was conspicuously missing.

Investigations by this paper revealed that according to documents lodged at the office of the attorney general’s chambers in Banjul, the Observer Company is owned by Baba Jobe and his cousin Modou Sula Jobe, both now deceased.

Official documents state that on 21 October 2002, Buba Baldeh (also now deceased) serving as company secretary, filed a memorandum and articles of association for Observer Co. Ltd in which Baba K Jobe of Jarra Karantaba and Momodou Sula Jobe, were indicated as owning 990 shares and 10 shares of the 1,000 shares listed for the company.

An earlier file, dated 25 March 1999, showed an affidavit filed by Mr Amadou Samba stating him to be the owner of the business.

But sources close to the businessman who was a friend to Baba Jobe confirmed that Mr Samba had transferred ownership to Mr Jobe and demanded the removal of his name as proprietor printed on the bottom back of the paper.

Mr Samba, a former close associate of President Jammeh, originally bought the company from its founder Kenneth Y Best, a Liberian, who was deported by President Jammeh in October 1994.

Contacted for further clarification on June 18, Lamin AK Touray, the registrar of companies, told The Standard: “We have conducted a due diligence search on the said company [Observer] but realised that it is not incorporated and registered on the Single Window Business Registry system. There is no information under our historical records as well, which means it is neither incorporated nor registered with us [as a company].”

A former government official who requested anonymity, told The Standard: “The Observer was part of the collateral damage that Baba [Jobe] suffered when he fell out with Yahya Jammeh and was detained and jailed and later died in prison.”

The source alleged that President Jammeh appropriated Baba Jobe’s assets including compounds, lands, businesses, interests in the hospitality sector and even bank accounts.
Asked whether these “appropriated assets” were not in fact President’s Jammeh’s and held by Baba Jobe in proxy, he said: “What I know is that they were Baba’s properties. He owned them.”

Meanwhile, The Standard has learnt that the family of Mr Jobe led by his widow and brother had engaged the services of a lawyer to advise on their claim for retrieval of the Observer Company.
Another source told this paper that while the Observer Company may belong to Baba Jobe, the building housing the company “definitely belongs to Yahya Jammeh”.

It is interesting to note that since its establishment in 1992, the Observer Company has had 15 managing directors and all of them have been hired [except for Mr Best] and fired by President Jammeh or at his behest.

Source: Standard Newspaper

Abubakar Tambadou, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice has welcomed the withdrawal of his brother Sheriff Tambadou from the prosecution team at a press briefing held at the Attorney General’s Chambers in Banjul.

“I welcome the decision of my brother (Sheriff) to withdraw from the prosecution team in the NIA 9 Case. I believed it is the right thing to do under the circumstances,” Justice Minister Abubakr Tambadou said.

Minister Tambadou went further to say his brother’s withdrawal would hopefully allow the prosecution team to focus on the more important task of establishing criminal accountability for the unfortunate death of Solo Sandeng. He asserted that the selection of Sheriff as co prosecutor was the exclusive decision of the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Antouman Gaye.

“As Attorney General, I have strictly limited all my communications on the case,” he asserted.

The Justice Minister commended the appointment of Antouman Gaye as the Prosecutor General in managing the case and selecting the prosecution team of his choice. He said he was made aware of the defense proposal to commence negotiation towards a plea bargain. He added that he gave his approval in principle to proceed.

Notwithstanding, he said he has come to the conclusion in view of the entire circumstances of the meeting between Sheriff and a representative of the first accused person (Yankuba Badjie) and having listened to the audio recording that the said meeting could reasonably interpret that his decisions as Attorney General could be influence by extraneous factors.

“I wish to state for the record that all the decisions I have taken since my appointment as Attorney General and Minister of Justice have been base purely on professionalism and the best interest of the nation without any undue influence from anyone including family members,” Minister Tambadou interjected.

The Justice Minister further said his personal commitment to ensure justice for all the victims of human rights violations and abuses for the past 22 years is much only with the zeal and enthusiasm which he has to embrace the call to come home to serve his country.

“I have demonstrated my commitment to justice in the Solo Sandeng case in particular by appointing a senior and very experience criminal law attorney as the Special Prosecutor in the person of Antouman Gaye and I continue to give him all the necessary support necessary to conduct his prosecution,” he stated.

Minister Tambadou reiterated his confidence in the ability of the Special Prosecutor to diligently and professionally prosecute this case as the case for the prosecution is strong. He said he has set the goal to restore public confidence in the justice system and setting high standard of integrity in public office. He further stressed his commitment to this objectives.

“These are difficult time for my family and I thank all those who tried to reach out to show support,” he said.

Responding to questions, the Attorney General was asked about his proposed resignation that was reportedly rejected by President Barrow but he referred the journalist to the office of the President. He was also questioned whether he really told his brother that he does not want to prosecute the NIA 9 case as stated in the audio recording of his brother and representative of the first accused, Yankuba Badjie. He refused to comment but relate to his brother’s press statement.

Meanwhile, the Justice Minister has disclosed that the prosecution team were contracted for D5 Million instead of D51 Million as reported on social media.

PRESS BRIEFING JULY 2017

Welcome to another press briefing of the Ministry of Justice following the last one in May. As usual, the primary purpose of our press briefings is to provide the public with periodic updates and relevant information on the progress of the activities of the Ministry as part of the Ministry’s policy of engendering transparency and accountability in government.

NIA 9 CASE

I welcome the decision of my brother Sheriff to withdraw from the prosecution team in the NIA 9 case. It is the right thing to do under the circumstances. His withdrawal, therefore, will allow the prosecution team to focus on the more important task of establishing criminal accountability for the unfortunate death of Solo Sandeng.

Let me however make clear that the selection of Sheriff as co-prosecutor was the exclusive decision of the Special Prosecutor Mr. Antouman Gaye. As Attorney-General, I have strictly limited all my communications on the case to direct contact with Mr Gaye exclusively. But appointing Mr Gaye as Prosecutor also comes with allowing him a margin of appreciation in his management of the case including his selection of a prosecution team and a prosecutorial strategy of his choosing. For the record, I was made aware of the defence’s proposals to commence negotiations towards a plea bargain and I gave my approval in principle for this.

Notwithstanding, I have come to the conclusion, in view of the entire circumstances of the meeting between Sheriff and the representative of the 1^st Accused, and having listened to the audio recording, that the said meeting could reasonably be interpreted as creating the impression that my decisions as Attorney General could be influenced by extraneous factors.

I wish to state for the record, that all the decisions that I have taken since my appointment as Attorney General and Minister of Justice have been based purely on professionalism and in the best interest of the country without any undue influence from anyone including family members.

I wish to state further that my personal commitment to ensure justice for all the victims of human rights violations and abuses of the past 22 years, is matched only by the zeal and enthusiasm with which I embraced the call to return home and serve my country.

I have demonstrated my commitment to justice in the Solo Sandeng case in particular by appointing a senior and very experienced criminal law attorney as Special Prosecutor in the person of Mr Antouman Gaye and I continue to give him all the support necessary to enable him conduct an effective prosecution. I re-iterate my full confidence in Mr Gaye’s ability to prosecute this case with diligence and professionalism as the case for the prosecution remains strong.

I have set myself the goal of restoring public confidence in our justice system and setting the highest standards of integrity in public office. I remain fully committed to these objectives.

These are very difficult times for my family and I thank all those who reached out to show support.

ASSETS FREEZE

On the freezing of the assets in the country of former President Yahya Jammeh, we continue to receive additional information in respect of a significant number of assets purportedly belonging to him and his close associates. We however want to make sure that the reports we are getting about ownership of these latest assets are factual and accurate. We have now filed a supplemental list of assets before the High Court in Banjul for the inclusion of these newly discovered assets in the freezing order. So far, this new list includes 49 additional landed properties located in the greater Banjul area bringing the total number of known landed properties owned by former President Yahya Jammeh to 180 in the country.

TRUTH, RECONCILIATION & REPARATIONS COMMISSION

The Ministry has now concluded the first review of the draft TRRC bill. We have also now shared this draft bill with international experts who have acquired experience on the establishment of truth commissions from around the world. Let me emphasize that while we will seek the views of outsiders on our truth commission process, our TRRC will be designed by the people of The Gambia based on a model that fits the particular social, cultural, political and historical context of The Gambia.

Consequently, the Ministry intends to lead a team on a tour of all the administrative regions of the country to engage the people in discussions about the TRRC process. The touring team will be selected from a cross-section of Gambian religious, political, ethnic, civil society, professional, youth and women communities who shall themselves undergo a one or two day workshop about the methodology of the public consultations on the TRRC before embarking on the tour. The different groups will be requested to nominate members for the touring team.

We hope to start this public engagement tour in early August 2017 so that the finalized draft bill will be tabled before the National Assembly in September. If the bill is passed into law, the recruitment exercise for positions in the TRRC will commence soon after to ensure that we remain on course to start hearings by the end of the year as planned. Recruitment will be done through an open competitive process for most of the posts with a few exceptions such as direct appointments by the President of the Republic.

We shall soon start radio and television discussions about the whole TRRC process, its objectives and rationale so that there will be better understanding about the process for both perpetrators and victims and the public at large. The Ministry has already started reaching out to Christian and Islamic religious leaders to engage with and encourage their communities and congregations to be open and truthful about our dark past as a way to sustainable peace and genuine reconciliation in the country. This is particularly important as perpetrators and victims of abuses continue to live together in small communities with mistrust and suspicion hovering over them and that this needs to be addressed in an open, transparent and truthful manner.

We therefore continue to call on community leaders and youth and women’s groups to engage their people in these discussions nationwide in a constructive manner. In this regard, we welcome the recent initiative of the National Council for Civic Education on the National Dialogue on Peace and Reconciliation and the public support given to this process by the respective Chiefs of Foni and the National Assembly members in the area.

Conversely, the Ministry of Justice condemns unequivocally all acts or utterances that encourage sectarianism in this country. Political and community leaders must conduct themselves with responsibility especially in their utterances and anything that tends to divide us along political or tribal lines should be avoided. We encourage everyone to embrace the message of peace in our communities. The present mood in the country is one of refreshing freedom and liberty. While we will exercise maximum restraint in the strict application of the law under these circumstances, this must not be interpreted as weakness. Democracy must not be equated with lawlessness. The exercise of any fundamental rights also come with responsibility to society and respect for governmental authority. No one should take the law unto themselves lest we undermine the very essence of our new found democracy which we all fought so hard to achieve.

The Ministry welcomes the official establishment of the Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations. We encourage them to reach out and include in their organization all the victims of human rights violations and abuses of the 22 year rule of President Yahya Jammeh and I assure them of my personal commitment to justice for all. We look forward to working closely with the Centre and building a strong partnership with them in this entire process. We will not be able to achieve much without their continuous support and solidarity and that is why ours will be a victims’ centered approach. We are a traumatized nation and our people must never be allowed to go through a similar experience again!

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW

At a national conference on Justice and Human Rights held in The Gambia on 23 – 25 May, 2017 under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice, and following identification of numerous amendments proposed for the 1997 Constitution, there was general consensus by a cross-section of the participants from Gambian religious, political, civil society and other communities that overall, the strategic objective of a return to sustainable democracy, would require the drafting of a new Constitution as a review by amendments to the 1997 Constitution will be too numerous and may not address all issues comprehensively. It is expected, therefore, that a new constitution of the Republic of The Gambia which will usher in the 3^rd Republic, shall be adopted at the end of this exercise.

The MOJ, in consultation with the office of the Chief Justice, has now finalized a draft concept note and terms of reference for this constitutional review process. It is proposed that a Constitutional Review Commission be established with membership drawn from a cross-section of Gambian political, religious, civil society, youth, women, professional and other communities. The CRC will be mandated to engage in consultations with the Gambian public both in the country and outside. The CRC shall submit its report together with a new draft constitution based on its public consultations. The duration of the Commission shall be for 18 months from the date it will be established and the entire exercise shall last for not more than 2 years. The draft constitution shall be put to a referendum for adoption by the people of The Gambia. The proposed new constitution of The Gambia shall be one that reflects faithfully and accurately the views of the generality of Gambians both at home and abroad and from a cross-section of Gambian religious, political, civil society, youth, women, professional and other communities. Further details about the entire process will be shared in due course. The Commission shall engage in very rigorous public information and outreach programs about its activities and functions soon.

COMMISSIONS OF INQUIRY

A presidential Commission of Inquiry into the financial activities of public enterprises, bodies and offices as regards their dealings with former President Jammeh has now been established. The Commission’s Terms of Reference have been published and are available at the National Printing Office. The Commission shall sit for 3 months from July 2017 at the Jerma Beach Hotel. The Commission will soon make public announcements with further details about their sittings etc.

There are plans to establish a second Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the alleged unlawful interference with and/or confiscation of private property by former President Yahya Jammeh under cover of the State. The Ministry has received numerous complaints and petitions from individuals alleging unlawful confiscation of their properties especially land by former President Yahya Jammeh under cover of the State. It is the Ministry’s view that in light of the number of complaints and petitions received, it will be for the public good to establish another Presidential Commission of Inquiry to look into alleged unlawful interference with and/or confiscation of private property by former President Yahya Jammeh in the name of the State.

However, for several reasons including the need to avoid potential overlap in some areas of inquiry between the two separate commissions of inquiry, the Commission of inquiry into the alleged unlawful interference with and/or confiscation of private property is expected to be established after the completion of the work of the Commission of inquiry into the financial activities of public enterprises as regards their dealings with former President Jammeh. More details about the second Commission of inquiry will be shared with the public soon.

CCDRP

I am pleased to report that the Criminal Case and Detention Review Panel has now completed the review of all cases under its purview. You will recall that the Panel was established by the Ministry of Justice and its membership drawn from this Ministry and various other organs under the Ministry of Interior including the Gambia Police Force, the Prison Service, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency etc. The mandate of the Panel was to review and make recommendations to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice on specified categories of cases including criminal cases against current or former public servants, or criminal cases linked to a political activity. I have now received the final report of the Panel with its recommendations.

Over the past 3 months, the Panel has reviewed a total of 241 criminal cases involving 304 accused persons. Recommendations were made to discontinue prosecutions in 36 cases involving 86 accused persons on the basis of insufficient evidence. Currently, there are 208 people held in remand awaiting trial or the conclusion of trial for various offences including murder and rape. Convicts or remand prisoners with medically certified mental disabilities will be transferred from prisons to Tanka Tanka psychiatric hospital for appropriate treatment.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the Criminal Case and Detention Review Panel through the Chair, Ms Oli Danso, Senior State Counsel at the Ministry of Justice, for all the hard work and dedication shown throughout this challenging task. They have had to work extremely hard under very difficult circumstances including on weekends to ensure that the task is completed in a timely manner.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND MEDIA LAW REFORM

Calls for expressions of interest from local law firms or counsel for a comprehensive review of our criminal justice law and procedure to bring it in line with international best practices shall be announced soon after consultations with the office of Chief Justice.

Work on media law reform has already started in consultation with Article 19 and the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure. There will be a wider consultative process with stakeholders following these initial steps.

We intend to approach the criminal justice and media law reforms in phases bearing in mind the constitutional review process so that any changes in our criminal justice and media laws shall take into account the provisions of any proposed new constitution.

INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENTS

In our efforts to ensure that the international community including the United Nations continues to engage with and support The Gambia throughout this transition period, we attended the fourth annual session of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission in New York upon their invitation. During the session, we thanked the international community particularly the United Nations, the African Union and Ecowas for standing by the people of The Gambia during the political impasse in December and January, and urged them to continue their engagement with The Gambia as it seeks to consolidate the peace in the country.

Many speakers, including senior officials of the United Nations, and the Permanent Representative of the sister Republic of Senegal hailed The Gambia as a shining model that the rest of the world could learn from about peaceful political transitions. They urged continued rapid financial and other support to The Gambia.

On the margins of the Peacebuilding Commission session, we also held bilateral meetings with senior UN officials including the Administrator of the UNDP, the Rule of Law Office, the Office of Legal Affairs, and the Peacebuilding Support Office which has already disbursed to The Gambia through the UNDP country office an initial amount of $3M to kick start support for the security sector reform and our transitional justice processes including the establishment of a national Project Board under the leadership of the Ministry of Justice. In all our meetings, we emphasized the need for continued engagement with the Government and people of The Gambia and for rapid support in translating this democratic victory of the Gambian people into concrete economic advancement for ordinary Gambians.

In terms of strengthening capacity and enhancing resources within the Ministry, I am pleased to report that, with the assistance of our development partners especially the UNDP and the Turkish Government through its embassy in The Gambia, the Ministry will soon be able to provide every State Counsel at the Ministry with a desktop computer. The Ministry has meanwhile installed internet service in the whole of the Ministry for all counsel.

These two latest developments are absolutely essential in the provision of legal services in the 21^st century. It will help to drastically reduce the time for the preparation of cases, provide counsel with greater and faster access to legal research tools, and maximize efficiency. Plans are also underway to introduce modern electronic case management systems, and electronic record keeping and sharing platforms to facilitate communications and the efficient management and retrieval of information within the Ministry.

These developments will be complemented by training inside and outside the country in the use of these tools. This will ensure that the Ministry provides services of the highest professional quality to the public and Government and advance our quest for equality of arms between the public and private bar.

Lastly, it is important to note that in order to stem the historically high attrition rate at the Ministry, retain its current crop of staff, as well as attract other experienced counsel from the private bar, the conditions of service and remuneration for counsel at all levels must be improved. As a result, we had set up a taskforce to look into the conditions of service of counsel at the Ministry. The taskforce has now submitted its report and recommendations to me for action. It is our hope that the conditions of service for counsel at the Ministry will be improved soon.

Allow me to add however, that with improvements to the working environment and conditions of service of counsel at the Ministry, there will also be a corresponding expectation that counsel will provide services of the highest professional standard to the public and Government. In this regard, we intend to introduce, at an appropriate time, an internal performance appraisal system within the Ministry to ensure that professional standards are kept at a consistently acceptable level, and to also encourage discipline and accountability in public office.

Thank you!!!

Family members of Lamin Krubally, a man who was found dead in a police cell in Nema-Kunku Police Station are demanding for postmortem report to know the cause of his death in police custody on Wednesday, 12 July, 2017.

According to reliable sources, the late Mr. Krubally was arrested by the police at Nema Kunku Station where he was detained until his untimely death without any clear reasons as to what cause his tragic death.

The devastated family members said they were not allowed to be present during the postmortem. They said it was only the police and a doctor were present in the room without any of the family members. The family of the deceased thought they were barred from the postmortem room because the police were trying to hide something from them.

Family source told this medium that despite several attempts, both the police and the doctor could not give them any explanation as to the cause of death but the photos taken by the police camera man at the postmortem showed injuries on the deceased’s head.

‘‘Why we were not allowed to witness the postmortem? Are they hiding something from us?” family source said.

The brother of the deceased said no explanation was given but they were told to go home when the postmortem document is ready it will be sent to the Office of the Inspector General of Police, Interior Minister and the EFSTH hospital.

‘‘I asked what about the family and the doctor said we should make follow up on him,” he asserted.

Mrs. Rohey Jarju, widow of the deceased has two children, the youngest child is 4 years old. Overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, Rohey is demanding answers from the authorities to explain the cause of her husband’s death in police custody. She sobbingly described her late husband as a responsible hard working man who was the breadwinner of the family.

‘This is the most painful moment of our lives. We want to know what happened at the police station,” Rohey Jarju said.

She added: ‘‘we are deeply saddened. We want to know the truth because he has gone and never to come back. How did my husband die, I also want to know why he died in a police cell while in detention.”

Meanwhile, Lamin Krubally was laid to rest on Monday at Nema Kunku Cemetery in the presence of family members, friends and loved ones.