By: Nicholas Bass
Principal Magistrate Omar Jabang of the KanifingMagistrates’ Court yesterday insisted that the chief of the Gambia’s anti-narcotics agency and his deputy must appear before the court for allegedly defying a court.
This was the second time that this kind of order was issued by Magistrate Jabang.
It would be recollected that Principal Magistrate Jabang on 19 September 2023, ordered that the director general of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEAG) and his deputy appear before him to show cause why they should not be charged with contempt of court.
The Kanifing Magistrates’ Court last week granted bail to an alleged notorious drug dealer Paulo Djabi and his alleged confederates in crime Nadine Perreira, Mamadu Neto Djabi and Scuna Jabi after fulfilling the conditions for bail.
However, the DLEAG did not execute the orders of the court to release the suspects on court bail, which consequently led to the demand by Magistrate Jabang for the agency’s top two directors to appear before him yesterday to explain why they should not be held in contempt of court.
Modou Lamin Janneh of the Sherriff Division of the KanifingMagistrates’ Court told the court that when he and his colleague were sent to DLEAG HQ to execute the orders initially issued by Magistrate Jabang, one Counsel Camara engaged them in a war of words.
Janneh said that they were arrogantly handled by Counsel Camara at DLEAG HQ, stating that he (Camara) questioned them on the reasons for their presence there.