By: Michaella Faith Wright
Minister of Information Dr. Ismaila Ceesay has said that only the courts have the authority to determine the legality of the recent PURA protest, stressing that the government remains committed to justice and accountability, including plans to put former president Yahya Jammeh on trial.
Speaking on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on August 26, Dr. Ceesay emphasised that legal interpretation should not come from politicians. “The court is the one that has the right to interpret the law,” he said. “People have different interpretations of the law, but I am not a lawyer. Let the court decide whether it is legal or not.”
He added that parliament has been encouraging the implementation of governance and accountability reforms.
On passports, Dr. Ceesay explained that Gambians abroad can renew their machine-readable passports by submitting a copy of their expired passport and a valid resident permit. “It can then be renewed here without the person coming,” he said. “But for biometric passports, you must either come to The Gambia or wait for the mobile team currently visiting the diaspora. Last month they were in Spain, this month they are going to Italy. I’m not sure when they will be in the US.”
The issue of passport renewal has long been a source of frustration for the Gambian diaspora, with many complaining about delays, lack of access to biometric passport services, and the high cost of travel back home just to complete renewals. In recent years, government mobile consular teams have been dispatched to Europe, North America and other regions to ease the process, though schedules are often irregular and not publicly available in advance.
Responding to claims from rights groups and victims’ families that some former “junglers” remain at large, Dr. Ceesay dismissed the reports. “That’s not happening. All those bordering violations are facing justice. Justice has no boundaries,” he stressed.
He pointed to global accountability efforts, citing the case of former Interior Minister Ousman Sonko in Switzerland. “If you commit certain crimes that are universal in nature, no matter where you are, you will be tracked down,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay confirmed that a tribunal is being set up following the TRRC recommendations and assured that Yahya Jammeh will face trial with ECOWAS support, though the venue is yet to be confirmed. “These trials need resources and capacity. You don’t fast-track it, you must do it right,” he said. “What is important is that the government has the commitment to track Yahya Jammeh and everybody found wanting of crimes against innocent Gambians during his leadership.”
