Fishing expedition:

The due process of law is one of the most important pillars for any thriving civilization, and the judiciary, is seen as the arbiter of truth, and the final sanctuary for justice for all citizens.  In the absence of an independent judiciary, this will be a direct invitation to instability, and any country that abandons the rule of law – and the role of an independent judiciary is directly or indirectly contributing to a pending chaos and quagmire.  Rhetoric aside, it is indeed fundamental for every country to guarantee its citizen at least a fair hearing in the courts.  Again, this final sanctuary through the courts is the last hope for all citizens and that hope should be guarded at all cost

When Fatou Jaw Manneh was arrested, there were calculations made to allow the system to work because she has not committed any crime; therefore, good citizens found it prudent to allow the system to work, and there was a strong belief that she would be exonerated. After three months, it is absolutely clear that she does not have a case to answer. Some of us chose to be tactical and strategic in our approach in this unfortunate event, and were doing everything humanly possible to effectively win her freedom, and to be exonerated with the entire trump up charges. Even though, there were concerns to the impartiality of the system as a whole, but it was just impossible to see how any serious court would even pursue such a case.

It has become apparent that this case is not about justice, and unfortunately Fatou Jaw Manneh’s case has reinforced everything we have always believed of what is wrong in the Gambia. Someone has decided to pursue this case irrespective of whether there is a case to answer or not, and unfortunately there is no structure, whether it is the Bar Association, law makers in the legislature, civic groups or even political parties to challenge such a travesty. How can you bring charges against a citizen, even though the case was weak from the beginning, and a judge still allowed the case to proceed? As the case proceeded, it was obvious, listening to the state’s witness that this was a mockery of the judiciary, but still the case continued. When it became absolutely clear that the case fell flat on its face, they decided to withdraw the initial charges, and replaced them with new charges. If this is not fishing expedition, I swear to God I do not know what one is.

The Gambia belongs to all of us, and every citizen should be assumed innocent, and their rights protected at all cost. This case is a clear indication of what is wrong with our country, and the entire judiciary should work away from this charade. To be against the status quo, Jammeh or the APRC is not a crime. For anyone to use the judiciary to fight your political enemies is the oldest trick in the book of tyrants all over the world. It is against decency for any country to sit idly by and allow a fishing expedition to settle scores. “I AM GOING TO TEACH THEM A LESSON”, AND USE THE COURTS TO DO  THAT IS APPALLING.

Thanks

Musa Jeng

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