Edi, thanks for this update.  The fix has been on folks.  Yaya owns
everything in that country even the judges.  The judges that refused to be
slaves are either fired or they resigned.  Our people are not governed by
laws but by the rabid thinking of an idiot.  Jammeh must be relieved of his
misery before he sets our nation on fire.

Chi Jaama

Joe Sambou


>From: edi sossoeh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Chief Justice dismisses  journalists appilication for injunction.
>Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 12:57:20 +0000
>
>The Pakistanis hired chief justice Muhhamed Arif  has refused to entertain
>an injunction request filed by the Gambia press union and three other
>independent newspapers, the Point, The Independent and the News and Report
>Magazine to prevent the draconian media Commission from registering its
>members, reliable sources revealed yesterday.  The judge flatly delined to
>give reason for his refusual to grant injunction to the journalists who out
>challenge the consitutionality of the media commission legislation, which
>is
>designed to silence dissent and end press freedom in the tiny West African
>country.
>
>Hawa Sisay Sabally defence lawyer for the journalists had insisted that the
>chief justice to provide a written ruling indicating the reasons for his
>refusual to entertain the suit.  The judge promised to give reasons for his
>action.   Another Nigerian  high court judge whose appointment was not
>highly welcomed by the Bar association also dismised a  an appilication for
>the high court to order the judicial commission to recommend to the
>president for the appointment of judges at the supreme court.  The said
>court has not been sitting for about one year.  Most of the judges are
>either sacked, resigned or forcefully retired.   The journalists wanted the
>supreme court to be fully constituted to enable the fair hearing of their
>case.  But the judge Paul says the Attorney for the plaintiffs adopted the
>wrong approach in bringing the suit to court.  He ruled that the
>journalists
>should  have lodged a formal request to the judicial service commission
>before going to court.  Well Hawa has since dispatched a letter to the
>chairperson of the judicial service commission demanding the appointment of
>judges into the supreme court.
>
>Many lawyers are refusing to accept working with  the judiciary due to lack
>of independence.  There is a lot of executive interference.    In fact the
>foreign judges from the Nigeria have ceased coming.  They are not given the
>free hand to work.  Some after serving their contracts, they left for home.
>They refused to renew their contracts.  The common wealth technical judges
>are nolonger coming.  We seen what happened to justice chomba and Kabalata.
>These people were not the least happy with what is hapening.
>
>Now Joesph Joof had been forced to resigned, they could't get some one to
>replace him.  My sources say most of the people they approached refused to
>work with the regime.  This is a serious situation.  That the regime is
>finding it difficult to get people to work for them.  There is no job
>security in Jameh's regime.  AG's never serve for more than two years.  I
>am
>told that the chief justice's contract is about to expire.  Lawyer Ousman
>sillah was approached, but he flatly refused, said my sources.  Lawyer
>sheriff Tambadou also refused to serve as AG.  This is a serious
>development.
>
>The judiciary is last hope for nation and its people.  And any attempt to
>compromise its independence, it could be devastating.  Now many people
>don't
>have hope in the judiciary.  We have seen judicial staff openly declaring
>their loyality for the regime.  A classical case is Magistrate King.  He
>was
>sent on prigrimage to Mecca.  He was rewarded for the what they called"good
>job" he had been doing for the state.  He did stop at that.  He end up
>extorting funds belonging to the state.  He is now in America.  He
>dispatched a letter to the chief justice announcing his resignation.  Now
>what will happen to the enquiry set up to probe into magistrate Sanyang's
>alleagtions of corruption, and abuse office against his colleague king?  I
>think would be a waste venture.  King has already bid fare well to his
>colleagues.  He knew had a case to answer and coming back home means going
>to prisons.  He was accused of diveritng courts fines and fees into his
>personal use.  In addition King was also said to be receiving bribes from
>poor litigants.  Judicial officials are expeceted to observe the law and to
>break the law. If the trend continues many will cease going to court to
>seek
>justice, becuse what is happening at the moment is day light robbery.
>
>We need a  clean society, free of corruption and dictatorship.  Peace.
>
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