PRESS RELEASE
The Office of the Attorney General notes the concerns expressed over the recent press release from the Office of the President about the discontinuation of the prosecution of the Faraba Banta PIU 5 and others, and wishes to inform the general public that the said press release from the Office of the President should only be regarded as conveying the Presidency’s support to a request by the affected families in Faraba Banta to discontinue the criminal cases resulting from the Faraba Banta Commission of Inquiry. The said request by the affected families, which is not unusual in this jurisdiction, was properly addressed to the Attorney General and was made through the Alkalo of the Village.
The request is still under consideration by the Attorney General, and the Office of the President was only consulted for its views on the request in light of the fact that the Faraba Banta incident on 18 June 2018 was of such national tragedy and importance that it warranted the establishment by His Excellency, the President, of a Commission of Inquiry under Section 200 of the 1997 Constitution.
In this regard, the Office of the Attorney General affirms that the Office of the President did not, and has never attempted to, interfere with the exercise of this discretion, and therefore considers the recent press release from the Office of the President as an unfortunate choice of words.
The Office of the Attorney General reassures the general public that the exercise of prosecutorial discretion is vested exclusively in the Attorney General which he executes mainly through the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions and the Inspector General of Police. This discretion is exercised with due consideration to several factors including the public interest, and the wishes of the victims’ families.
Banjul
9 January, 2019
Adama Barrow wooo Adama Barrow! Just like a ginger bread man riding on the back of a fox. He gets eaten by the fox at the end of the journey. It will happen. Just watch.
This press release from the ministry of Justice is another reminder that President Barrow is surrounded by clueless and incompetent people who are very ignorant of our constitution. These people are leading President Barrow on a wrong direction. How could President Barrow appointed people like Dodu Sanno and other uneducated political zealots to be his advisers. President Barrow should have known better. The Gambia today is not the same as The Gambia of Jammeh’s years.
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If President Barrow had seek the legal advice of the Vice President Lawyer Darboe who has been the leading legal luminary in the country for past 40 years, the illegal press release from the office of the President would have never been released. It is unfortunate that the clueless people surrounding Mr Barrow are misleading him for their own selfish interests. These are the people who encouraged and misled him to form Barrow youth movement and First Lady foundation, today both of these organizations are political liabilities to President Barrow. In fact , President Barrow’s political future is eroding faster than otherwise many political virgins would want us to believe thanks to Barrow’s own political immaturity , greed and inherently gene of betrayal which has become phenotypically express character in his presidency. The problem with such type of trait is that it can’t be trusted. This has huge implications on leadership and governance. The most outstanding qualities of great leaders is their ability to gain trust of their followers, employees or people they are leading. Mr Barrow has trust problem because he can’t be trusted . President Barrow’s political fight with the leadership of a political party which contributed more than anyone to make him president is another indication that Mr Barrow has no core principle in his belief or political idealogy. Lack of principle and integrity are key traits that make people change positions like political prostitutes , thus it lead to betrayal based on personal interest but not to supreme interest of the country.
Another disturbing trend I have observed is that The Gambia media continue to play key role in helping President Barrow and his administration to mislead the Gambian people. This is evidenced by the publication of illegal press release in almost all media outlets without any challenge until the ministry of justice came up with rejoinder to clarify their position. It is shameful to see The Gambia media not taking any responsibility to seek or challenge office of President on constitutionality of the press release. This trend has to stop . The media cannot be spoon-fed by this administration and at the same time regurgitate the same information on their front pages as news to Gambian people. The publication of such illegal press release is a betrayal of core principles of journalism. In fact since President Barrow took office , presss Secretary at office of President continue to release news to determine narrative in the country instead of journalists working hard to investigate critical news and deliver to Gambian people. What a scam of misinformation and lack of professionalism. Media should have never allowed press release from office of President published on their website without rejoinder to educate citizens that the press releases were violations of our constitution. The media has become propaganda tool for Barrow’s administration. The Gambia media needs to hold President Barrow and his administration accountable Gambian people.
Hon. Darboe is his number one and closest adviser. This, and so many other mishaps are happening under his advise. God save The Gambia