By: Kemo Kanyi
The D50M civil suit that the environment minister Rohey John Manjang filed against journalist Kebba Ansu Manneh has been referred to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Secretariat for resolution.
This high court’s referral followed the announcement in court that the parties were unable to reach an out-of-court settlement.
The lawsuit bordered on a publication by The Alkamba Times on June 19, 2024, about the minister’s alleged involvement in a shady timber deal.
Mrs Manjang filed the suit, seeking damages, a written apology on The Alkamba Times website as well as on any other public platform that she was “defamed”. She also sought for acompensation of D50 million. Both The Alkamba Times and Mr. Manneh stood by their story.
During the resumption of the case at the Banjul High Court Annex on Tuesday, counsel for the environment minister Modou M. Drammeh informed the court that negotiations, aimed at settling the matter out of court, were unsuccessful.
In response, T. Bayo, holding brief for Counsel Jobartehconfirmed that no agreement had been reached between the plaintiff and journalist Manneh.
“Unfortunately, negotiations have broken down. We have not been able to reach an agreement to settle the matter out of court,” counsel Drammeh stated.
Presiding judge Justice Sonia Akinbiyi ruled that the case be transferred to the ADR Secretariat for mediation.
“This matter is referred to ADR for assistance in mediation,” she added.
The case is scheduled to resume on February 26, 2024, at 10 a.m.
