The Gambian Judiciary continues a steady embrace of monumental advances strengthening justice delivery, which reached a highpoint in 2023 as the bench increased both capacity and decentralisation strategies to allay the backlog of cases.
It’s a significant departure from the past as the Barrow government harnesses judicial independence to strengthen the country’s democratic transition.
Under the administration of Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow, the bench has focused on capacity development for judicial staff, and public access to swift and effective justice among others.
A series of training programmes for judicial staff on legal rules and procedures were undertaken with partners from the United States and United Kingdom during the course of the year, which witnessed marked improvements in judicial records keeping and communications.
2023 also brought a number of young legal practitioners to the bar after four years of academic studies at the country’s highest institution of learning.
A large cohort of private legal practitioners joined the bench as part of the indigenisation of the country’s judicial system which was mainly dominated by foreign Judges and Magistrates.
The addition of Gambian Judges and Magistrates and current expansion of the Lower and Cadi Courts come as the bench moves to boost capacity alongside the creation of special courts to complement the dispensation of the Gambia’s new democracy with amplified efforts to strengthen justice delivery and the rule of law.
A lot of challenges are still around and the judiciary is facing difficulties in terms of aging infrastructure and pressure to boost the welfare of judicial staff, particularly judges who have no retirement benefits, which compelled the Minister of Justice to table a bill before the lawmakers for consideration but that decision was met with an avalanche of reactions.
The 2023 legal year was a crucial crossroad for the development particularly serving judicial indigenisation, with almost seventy-two aspiring young lawyers called to the bar while dozens of Gambians were also sworn-in as Magistrates and Judges.
The construction of new court complexes across the country is an important strategy the bench is deploying to replace aging structures in a bid to expand access to justice for all citizens.
During his speech at 2023 legal year, President Adama Barrow renewed his commitment to empowering the judiciary which he said always remains on his watch to ensure quality dispensation and access to justice for every Gambian.
However, a raging backlog of cases in the lower courts and the high court continues to affect judicial efficacy which The Voice is unable to ascertain the number of cases being currently heard across the country.
A prominent case such as the alleged treason trial involving five military officers and a police officer was one of the high-profile cases the high court heard in 2023.
Four of the alleged coup plots were acquitted and discharged while the ringleader of the coup, Lance Corporal Sanna Fadera was the only person found guilty and was sentenced to twelve years in prison.
Fiat Justitia, a promise of swift and expedited justice delivery is the judiciaries working vision and under Chief Justice Honourable Hassan B. Jallow the bench is enjoying both independence and increased capacity.