By Binta Jaiteh
Honourable Suwaibou Touray a National Assembly member for Wuli East has called for a thorough scrutiny of the legal practitioners’ amendment bill 2023 noting that The Gambia has lots of problems when it comes to legal practice in this country.
He made this call during the second reading of the Legal Practitioners Amendment Bill 2023 at the National Assembly debate on the general merits and principles of the bill.
He talked about the good things he likes about the amendment said the good thing he likes about the amendment bill, taking into consideration people who cannot afford the services of a lawyer.
He urged the assembly to regulate the bill in “such a way that we have qualified people working in the system because if unqualified people participate in the system they will do injustice to a lot of people who are looking for justice.”
He posited that some lawyers can arrest a person just for arguing with them and at the end of the day you will be released without any charges, “so something must be done we need lawyers and legal practitioners who are groomed in public speaking.”
He, therefore, urged everyone to support this and also for the assembly to refer the bill to a committee that will do justice to it before the parliament.
Hon Dawda Jallow, Attorney General and Minister of Justice also highlighted the object and reasons for this bill saying ‘Currently, it is nearly impossible for the disciplinary to sit and hear complaints brought before them due to the composition of its membership. As a result, the Committee is inundated with its statuary role, and difficult for some members of the society to access the service of a legal practitioner because of their poor financial conditions.”
He affirmed that the profession needs to be well regulated for effective and careful service delivery, “therefore this bill seeks to empower the general legal council to establish such panel of the disciplinary committee to which shall consist of a judge of High Court, a State Law Officer of not below the rank of a Principal State Council legal practitioner of at least ten years of standing as opposed to what currently exists. This will allow flexibility in the sitting of the committee to immediately deal with issues brought before it.”
More so, he said the bill also seeks to properly address the professional misconduct of legal practitioners and also pave the way for legal education, legal aid, and population.
Hon Allagie Mbow said, a member for Upper Saloum seconded the motion and said they have presented with an amendment of a law that they actually dealt with looking at the parent act of 2016. He said normally when laws are made they are meant to solve an issue or abnormality in society but they are also meant to stand the rest of time.
Hon Muhammed Kanteh the NA member for Busumbala said this Act before them is welcoming and it encourages the setting up of misconduct to committees that will deal with members of the bar.
He stated that the bill needs a thorough consultative process for the general bar, students of the bar, and members within the bar.