Falana Tells Gambia To Comply With ECOWAS Judgments

Solicitors of the Accra-based Media Foundation for West Africa have written to the Gambia government urging them to comply with the judgments of the ECOWAS Community Court.  In a letter signed by Lawyer Femi Falana, the solicitors want their two clients – journalists Musa Saidykhan and Chief Ebrima Manneh – to be compensated for being illegally arrested, detained and tortured. Falana Falana lawyers wants the Barrow “government to institute an inquiry into the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh under the Tribunal of Enquiry Act.”

Read below the letter in full:-_:

 

24th day of May 2017

The Honourable Attorney General

And Minister of Justice of the Gambia

Attorney General’s Chambers & Ministry of Justice

The Republic of The Gambia

Marina Parade

Banjul

 

Through:

 

The Gambia High Commission

No.7, Misratah Street

Off Parakou Crescent

Wuse II

Abuja.

REQUEST FOR COMPLIANCE WITH TWO  JUDGMENTS OF THE  COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES IN: 

  1. Suit No: ECW/CCJ/APP/04/07

CHIEF EBRIMAH MANNEH

ANDT THEREPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA

  1. SUIT NO: ECW/CCJ/APP/11/07

MUSA SAIDYKHAN

AND TTHEREPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA

 I

We are Solicitors to the Media Foundation for West Africa on whose we instituted two cases before the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States sitting in Abuja, Nigeria. The details of both cases are set out below: 

In Suit No: ECW/CCJ/APP/04/07 BETWEEN CHIEF EBRIMAH MANNEH V REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA we challenged the arrest and detention of the plaintiff by the National Intelligence Agency. The defendant filed a preliminary objection against the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the human rights case, but objection was dismissed by the Court. In its judgment in the substantive suit delivered on the 5th day of June 2008 the court held declared the arrest and detention of the plaintiff illegal, ordered his immediate release from custody and awarded him damages of $100,000.00 (One hundred thousand United States Dollars).

As we sought to enforce the judgment by seeking the immediate release of the plaintiff from further detention the defendant turned round to inform the court that the plaintiff could not be located in any of the prisons and detention centres in The Gambia. In the circumstance, we had initiated legal measures in the court to compel the ousted Yahya Jammeh regime to account for the disappearance of the plaintiff in the custody of the National Intelligence Agency before the recent change of government in The Gambia. 

In Suit No ECW/CCJ/APP/11/07 BETWEEN. MUSA SAIDYKHAN V REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA  the plaintiff challenged his  arrest, detention for 22 days  by the National Intelligence Agency without any legal basis. In its judgment handed down  on the 16 day of December 2010 the Ecowas Court granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiff and awarded him reparation of $200,000.00 (Two hundred thousand United States Dollars). 

In the light of the foregoing  and in line with the commitment of the Adama Barrow administration to restore the human rights of the people of The Gambia under the rule of law we hereby urge you to use your good offices to ensure immediate compliance with both judgments. Apart from asking for payment of the judgment sum of $300,000.00 (three hundred thousand dollars only) we request the Government to institute an inquiry into the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh under the Tribunal of Enquiry Act.

Kindly find attached the certified true copies of both judgments of the Ecowas Court for your necessary attention and urgent action. 

Yours Sincerely, 

Femi Falana, SAN  

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