Dictator Jammeh has just fired the Chief Justice. Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan is also declared personna non grata. He is given 72 hours to leave the shores of The Gambia.
Kairo News got this breaking news an hour after the firing took place. Justice Nawaz attempted to preside over high profile cases without consulting or preempting his verdicts to President Jammeh.
The sacking of Justice Nawaz is reported to have been with the acquittals of former Navy Chief Rear Admiral Sarjo Fofana. President Jammeh is said to be seriously upset with the acquittal of Sarjo Fofana and decided to demonstrate who is in-charge.
More details will follow.
Below is a news article about the appointment of Nawaz some months ago:
The Gambia has appointed a Pakistani legal expert Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan as the country’s next chief justice, replacing the Ghanaian Mabel Agyemang who was sacked after a short spell in charge.
According to media reports on Friday, Internationally renowned Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan took the oath of office in the presence of Gambian President Dr. Yahya Jammeh on Thursday after he was confirmed to the position.
Speaking at the occasion, the president thanked the new judiciary boss and the two judges for accepting the challenge, assuring of his government’s commitment to ensuring quality dispensation of justice.
“Every appointment comes with responsibilities and the most important responsibility is safeguarding the trust reposed in you,” Jammeh told the new adjudicators. “We have appointed you as a brother to serve your second home and I have no doubt in your ability and integrity. Justice is universal but constitutions are unique and you are sworn-in as chief justice of The Gambia to implement Gambian laws, which are not promulgated by me, the president, but by the people of The Gambia so that every Gambian and anybody in this country will live according to the laws of this country so that there would be peace and order in this country.”
The head of state also used his speech to comment on the longstanding relationship between The Gambia and Pakistan, a bond he said, that has grown into brotherly ties.
He thanked Pakistan for contributing to the continued peace and security of The Gambia. He assured the newly sworn-in officials of his support at all times.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Chief Justice Chowhan said he was honoured to be accorded such a privilege to serve in the Gambian judiciary.
He commended President Jammeh for the powerful speech he delivered in Nigeria during that country’s centenary celebration. “I was particularly impressed with human rights issue, the co-existence of fellow human beings, respect for religion that was extremely great,” he said, while defining justice as “the faculty of the soul from which close actions lead to the sustenance of the system on which human civilization rests.”
http://www.geo.tv/article-140333-Pakistani-appointed-Gambias-new-Chief-Justice
Ends
This is not a surprise to me because Jammeh is a criminal who has no respect for the law and people of The Gambia . Those who still think that Jammeh is willing to allow rule of law and constitution to work in The Gambian should know that the criminal leader has one priority in life that is to remain in power forever on his own terms by any means necessary. Mr Fofana might remain as a prisoner of conscience until another government is in place if he is alive . This is my prediction. Jammeh and his cronies has total hegemony over the Gambian people . Jammeh already know his faith when he leave power and this is why he will eliminate all the good sons and daughters of the country before his demise .
Justice Chowhan is a man of substance, who by indications already pointed out to the Evil Murderous yaya kanilai Killer Devil from the inaugural speech above here that he has been following the tyrannical issues & keeping on top of it & that he can’t be corrupted; since Evil Murderous kanilai Killer Devil’s stinky mouth say one thing whilst the murderous hands does another SIMULTANEOUSLY…..
Chowhan have some diplomatic credentials which he will make sure no Devilish coward will tarnish; he’s spoken the words from day one & have lived by them to the last; I’m pretty sure he’s a relieved man inside himself knowing he’s finally leaving the doors of Hell on earth behind him for good….
The fall out continues for the Devilish kanilai Evil Murderer & syndicate; surely another step in the right direction for Gambians….
God help & bless the collective endeavour to salvage Gambia; Ameen.
Nothing new under Gambian sky.
Sarjo Fofana should just flee period.
I DISAGREE! Sarjo should stay put. Fleeing the country only perpetuates the problem.
Thanks
The monster that we the Gambians created with our own hands between 1994 – 1996 has grown, over time, to become our nemesis. He will leave no establishment/institution pristine. But the interesting thing is: Despite his monstrosity, we do not seem to be learning any lessons, for we still have not yet seen the need to unite and face the common enemy. We continue to complain while tearing each other apart. This is a typical case of “I will not become but none else will also become”.
The recent UDP experience is a classic example. I was dumbfounded by comments from quarters portraying the whole episode as a UDP affair and not a national one. Such people were sarcastically asking UDP to use their numerical strength to fight their own battle. Incredible!!! What species of people are we? We smile at each other but harbor so much hatred for each other, and we comfortably continue to portray ourselves as Muslims and Christians.
Well, in the meantime, here enters our Crown King of the Kingdom of The Gambia – Mansa Yahya Jammeh.
But why the hell the chief justices of the Gambia are foreigners? No wonder many of our good citizens have disappeared.
I think justice Chowan got the message and did reason with himself and decided not to sell himself out as a ‘murder machine’s switch’ in a foreign country.
Jammeh is definitely a prove for himself that ‘BUWAS’ do really existed in our country and so he must hunt them down. It is probably a BUWA that can handle a bitter hearted BUWA like him (Jammeh).
Max, Jammeh cannot eliminate all the good sons and daughters of the Gambia. He can only kill, force disappear and torture some of them in their capacity as true citizens of the Gambia but, that’s a process him “Jammeh” and his cronie’s hegemony or monster’s grip, I do call call it at times, over the Gambian people, will auto-dismantle.
@Max. …”Jammeh and his cronies has total hegemony over the Gambian people . ”
Comment : Aaaa haaaa. .! Now you are talking brother Maxi….This is the incontrovertible truth about The Gambia and this is what we must all expose….
Let’s not allow any “sand to be thrown into our eyes” by diverting our attention and wrought onto/against innocent and equally suffering groups…
Bax , you started it again lol . I agreed with you on my posting in this thread but i still 100 percent believe in jola hegemony we disagreed on .
Is anyone surprised ? I hope not, because its the same old story, isn’t it ?
And whether it’s connected to the acquittals or not, it came at a time when an arbitrary economic decision, taken through an executive directive, which has a huge negative impact on the economy, has become the talking point…
The man (Jammeh ) is also seething from the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the UDP, when the decision to refuse them a permit has to be reversed in the most embarrassing circumstances, as far as the regime is concerned…
Watch how he bellows, snorts and threatens all and sundry on his panic tour, and regurgitates the same smelly cow dung, that he will rule for a million years…and the opposition blah, blah, blah….
So naturally, Yaya Jammeh needs a distraction for some respite, and as usual, he has used a state official for the purpose…
It makes no difference to the people seeking justice in our law courts, whether the Chief Justice is Gambian or not, as long as Yaya Jammeh occupies the office of the president…So let no one waste valuable time on this sacking…
If anything, I think these frequent arbitrary sackings of top state functionaries should make us question the rationale of placing so much power in the executive, and demand that any future government be committed to constitutional reform, that limits the powers of the president, in line with our democratic republican status, as a country…
Sympathies for the departing CJ and his family ( if he has any with him there), but I won’t take any more notice of this man’s endless sackings…
Bourne , I think you are right to correct me on that . I should have use the word “some ” in my description . Yeah jammeh can’t eliminate all true sons and daughters of The Gambia .
In medical term , jammeh ( cancer) is a type of cancer that has metastasized ( mets to the brain in this case) which no intervention can safe . We all needs to work together to get rid of him.