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Subject:
From:
Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:50:34 EST
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (432 lines)
 
Citizen Lamin, honourable,
 
I both admire your sense of propriety and circumspect. I am equally  inspired 
by your wit and sense of humour. It has helped relax me abit. Just a  bit. I 
was so wound up pre-stressed concrete felt like putty. These knuckleheads  
Carnegie Minerals and Yahya both take us for lollipops to be suckered dry  when
ever they have a wet dream. Lamin, I think this discussion is too valuable  for 
our coleagues and fellow citizens here to take it private and because unlike  
Yahya and Carnegie Minerals, we are trained on Gambia's interest. So forgive 
me  for continuing the conversation here and please advise me when you think  
threshold for privacy is reached. 
 
I understood the Fairfax case was not analogous to Carnegie Mins -Yahya  & 
Co.in the material aspects of the case. The reason I shared it is that  like in 
the Fairfax Case, if Yahya was competent, he could have easily and  amicably 
resolved this matter this way:
 
If his lab results are at variance with the agreed upon independent lab's  
result, and were he minutely competent, he could have realised that the anomaly  
could be a result of disparate calibrations or instrumentation. He could have 
 weighed on the side of caution were he to have considered the larger 
interest of  Gambia. He would complete the arbitration clause by suggesting a third  
determinant lab that is mutually acceptable. The larger lesson of Fairfax 
being  sobriety and circumspect. Proactive dispensation.
 
If Carnegie Minerals were competent, it would not have engaged in contract  
where Yahya is party based on the latter's comprehensive record and as  you 
posited, Carnegie Minerals fore-knowledge of potential delinquency and  
non-compliance. Further, Carnegie Minerals could have insisted on propriety in  the 
execution of both the lease and license and at the time of any breach,  should 
have sought the wisdom of the mutually agreed arbitre. The  relationship was 
replete with non-compliance as to both parties even prior to  Charlie 
Northfield's abduction and imprisonment. In other words, both parties  were severely 
negligent as to the arbitration clause unless the clause has a  specific trigger 
clause understood by both parties and that their intent was  manifestly to 
maintain a contractual relationship. More, Carnegie Minerals keep  referring to 
the Gambia Government as if that was a party to the "contract"  ever. And you 
are not helping my sanity much when you take that reasoning. I do  understand 
though that you rightly take the position of innocent until proven  guilty. This 
is where my call to you would bear heavily on: Whether the Gambia  
Government, and by extension therefore, the citizens of Gambia ought not be  indemnified 
in any prospective dispute between these two knucklehead  parties.
 
This is how we, the citizens will crash this juvenile party with rotund  
bouncers, gonfle'. In fact, I will try to convince you that we do not have to  
crash their frolic, instead we will file suit in competent court independent of  
the two of their juvenile tantrums. Please hear me out. I understand this will 
 go ever so slightly against the established grain, but extraordinary  
circumstances require extraordinary measures. We can even convince the  Commonwealth 
Development Corporation that itself is delinquent to some  extent.
 
Thanx Lamin, and please don't get upset with my tenacity and erstwhile  
eccentricities. This matter is terribly significant.
 
Haruna.
 
In a message dated 2/28/2008 4:11:08 A.M. Mountain Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Haruna:

I know you are tenacious and there  is something to be said for such a spirit.

However,  your Fairfax case is not analogous to the Gambia Government - 
Carnegie  dispute. In the Fairfax case a third party was not seeking to intervene 
in a  contractual dispute. The community was directly injured by the tortious  
activities of the multinational corporation, and therefore had standing in  
availing itself of a legal remedy before the competent tribunals in Virginia.  
On the facts, there were aggravating circumstances, and courts do not look  
kindly on such conduct especially where there is an imbalance between parties,  
and huge resources are expended to frustrate a remedy. In the US, such conduct  
generally attracts potentially paralysing punitive damages.

Clearly, the Fairfax matter is distinguishable from Gambia  Government - 
Carnegie. In the latter case, a third party intervention as you  envisaged comes 
up against obstacles that are not capable of legal  negotiation. To accept your 
premise would have direct implications for the  sovereign authority of the 
Government. I am not sure any court of law would  travel that route with you.

I am unsure about the  full contours of the Commonwealth Development 
Corporation's involvement, but  it is partly to underwrite the integrity of the 
contractual process in the  sense that the raw exercise of power routinely trumps 
legality in the Gambia.  As that culture  is a matter of common knowledge, the 
Gambia as a  jurisdiction is contractually denied any role in dispute 
resolution. To state  it uncharitably, Carnegie was fully aware that it was plunging 
into a lawless  pool. Nevertheless, pertinent segments of the international 
system will ensure  that a valid arbitration award against either party is fully 
complied with.  

Do apprise me of exactly how you propose we crash  into this private party 
guarded by the legal equivalent of oversize  bouncers.






LJDarbo


Haruna  Darbo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Citizen Lamin,  honourable,

I appreciate your wise counsel as am sure our fellow  citizens here 
appreciate. I will reach you privately to share some ideas.  I acknowledge 
the 
contractual nature of the relationship between Carnegie  Minerals and Yahya 
Jammeh and 
the utter failures of the two parties to be  guided by circumspect to avert 
the "misunderstanding" that threatens to  engulf an innocent citizenry. It is 
in effect the competency of the two  parties to enter into such contract that 
was highly offensive.

I  agree with your learned counsel that were we to accept the validity of the 
 
contract, we will then be condemned to hopeless spectators. I urge you to  
take a second look at the principle I share - that is that the contract  
itself 
is not issue and therefore null and void as to the citizens of  Gambia. I 
encourage you to consider other venue for original citizen suit  than a 
division 
of the High court in London should that venue and officers  prove unwilling 
or 
inappropriate audience. I am convinced that due to the  delinquent nature of 
the two parties in Carnegie Minerals and Yahya, we  must view this matter 
extra-ordinary. I am informed that the arrangement  between the two parties 
was 
facilitated by the commonwealth development  corporation and obviate the High 
Court in London as venue.

As  regards amicable resolution of matters such as this, I wish to share a  
story with you.

Some years ago, I had the opportunity to share  ideas with a multinational 
corporation who was delinquent in leaking  carcinogens into an aquifer body, 
carcinogens which ended up in the water  wells of a certain community in 
Fairfax 
Virginia. The corporation already  had world class PR firms and Counsel. I 
volunteered to visit the site and  speak with the residents and discouraged 
them 
to rely on the litiguous  prowess of counsel. Upon travelling to Virginia, I 
came to realise that  the community was livid because the corporation had 
hidden monitoring well  sample test results from them for a long time hoping 
that 
their  (corporation's) remediation and cordoning efforts would prevent 
leacheate  from reaching private wells. When I returned, I advised that in 
view of  
such delinquency, the corporation should publish admission of error and  
omission 
and that they should begin to purchase affected homes at fair  market value 
in addition to issuing compensation for inconveniences. I  also advised that 
they should proactively share results of all their  monitoring wells with all 
the communities in which they have underground  storage tanks and above 
ground 
tanks to include publicising remediation  efforts. Needless to say, I was not 
very popular with corporation brass  and I was regarded with utter disdain 
and 
regret for seeking my advise.  They recoiled to assume an adversarial 
posture. 
The acrimony festered,  distrust prevailed. A court later found the 
corporation liable and  culpable to the tune of 5 times the amount it would 
have costed 
were they  to have taken a more benign and proactive posture and admitted  
error.
AND, they are still paying for a more comprehensive remediation  ordered by 
the court.

What I wish to share Lamin is that  spectacular negligence and delinquency 
calls for extra-ordinary measures.  I will continue this conversation 
privately 
with you and hopefully to  speak with you over the phone. Carnegie Minerals 
and 
Yahya's delinquencies  must not render us victims or helpless spectators. I 
am terribly  disappointed at Carnegie. I am not disappointed at Yahya because 
I 
was not  surprised at his belligerence. The record is available for all and 
sundry  who are trained on sobriety and circumspect.

Thank you again Lamin and  I look forward eagerly to speaking with you.

Haruna. 

In a  message dated 2/27/2008 5:48:12 P.M. Mountain Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

I meant to say "Cooperation in  the manner ,,, 


LJDarbo



Lamin Darbo  wrote:
Haruna:

Notwithstanding that the Gambia Government's  potential liability is in the 
millions of pounds, the dispute with  Carnegie is a simple contractual 
matter. 
The parties apparently settled on  binding arbitration, thereby excluding any 
possibility of litigation in  the appropriate High Court division in London. 

Even in the event of  litigation, third party intervention is unlikely to 
attract judicial  blessing in so far as this particular dispute involves no 
important  principles of general public concern, effectively excluding 
permission 
for  an amicus brief. 

I appreciate your concern and public spiritedness,  but in a contractual 
dispute between two competent parties, you and I are  condemned to watch the 
contest from the sidelines. Cooperation in the  matter you envisaged is 
unlikely 
from either party, albeit for different  reasons. 

In light of its apparent conduct in effectively terminating  the contract 
without invoking the agreed dispute settlement mechanism of  arbitration, the 
prospect of success appears dim for the Gambia  Government.  






LJDarbo






Haruna Darbo  wrote:

Hello Simon,

I am in receipt of your response which I  attach for my fellow citizens.

I wish to thank you for acknowledging us  and we understand your position and 
predisposition. We regret that both  Yahya & CO. and Carnegie are averse to 
recognising the citizens of  Gambia as unique party to your current 
dispute/misunderstanding, ample  evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

I am also aware of efforts by  both Carnegie Minerals and Yahya & Co. 
attempting to coerce  proprietors and editors of Gambia online newspapers to 
do their  
bidding. I discourage my fellow citizen proprietors of Gambia online news  
services from yielding to such coercive advances. This is a landmark case  
which 
has sobering precedence. We must not sell our souls for material  
considerations from unscrupulous entities. 

by copy of this note, I  encourage Mr. Ousman Sillah, Mr. Lamin Darboe, Mr. 
Bakary Conteh, Mr.  Chongan, Mr. Sanusi Owens, Mr. Halifa Sallah, Mr. 
Ousainou 
Darboe, Ms.  Mariam Denton, to consider engaging other appropriate fellow 
citizens,  proficient in law and jurisprudence, and form themselves into a 
Citizen  
Legal Defense team with a view to protecting the interest of the citizens  of 
Gambia. I will volunteer, along with desiring citizens and online  Gambia 
newspaper editors, to form ourselves into the Public Relations arm  of such 
an 
entity.

Lamin, please inform me if you are amenable  to leading such an adhoc team of 
distinguished legal advocates. I will  begin raising funds for such an 
endeavour. I encourage my fellow citizens  in public fora to speak their 
minds and 
show support for forming for  our defense.

Sincerely,
Haruna  Darbo
[log in to unmask]


In a message dated 2/27/2008 4:21:31  A.M. Mountain Standard Time, 
[log in to unmask] writes:

Hi  Haruna
I do hope you are well, my name is Simon Elliott and I am an MD at  the PR 
company FD. One of my clients is Carnegie Minerals  plc.

Thank you for your note of 22 February. Having taken legal counsel  
regarding the referred to mining license, we have been advised that it  would 
be 
inappropriate to send you a copy while the legal case against  the company 
and our 
colleague is ongoing. We will however review this  once the case has 
concluded.

Meanwhile thank you for your  support,
Simon

Simon Elliott
Managing  Director





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