By: Nicholas Bass
President Adama Barrow has vowed that his government will remain resolute in its mission to promote and uphold good governance, the rule of law, and democracy by maintaining a clear separation of powers.
The Gambian leader made these remarks at the official opening of the legal, the year 2025 at the Banjul High Court Complex on Sunday, where he said ”We have significantly improved the independence of the judiciary thereby restoring public confidence in our legal institutions”
Barrow stated that the recent digitization of High Court proceedings shall improve the efficiency and delivery of justice within the Judiciary sector.
He described the collective efforts of the judiciary staff under the lordship of Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow as a testament to their tireless efforts in enhancing access to justice and efficiency which according to him are widely acknowledged and appreciated. President Barrow revealed that much progress has been made in transitional justice, stating that it has been developed from policy formulation to meaningful implementation following the release of the White in 2022.
“My government set the motion mechanism to ensure justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators of human rights violations”, the Gambian pointed out.
Barrow further stated that the decision to establish a special prosecutor’s office and a special Tribunal underscored the government’s determination to address injustice with transparency and integrity.
He stressed that the Special Tribunal Court of The Gambia will investigate and prosecute gross human rights violations and international crimes committed during the previous regime from July 1994 through January 2017.He added that such will send a strong message that condemns impunity in The Gambia.
The Chief Justice, Hassan B. Jallow, in his report, disclosed that last year’s legal year commenced with a total of 6,317 cases from January 2024 which were carried over from the previous year, adding that in the year 2024, a total of 6,678 cases that comprised of 4,849 civil and 1,826 criminal cases were filed in the courts.He added that there was an increase of 25% over those registered in 2023.
“The total number in our docket for 2024 was 12,995 cases. In 2024, a total of 5,541 cases comprising 4,141 civil cases and 1,400 criminal cases were disposed of across all the courts, compared to 5,273 cases disposed of the previous year 2023,” CJ Jallow reported.
According to him, the judiciary needs more investment in the administration of justice to manage such workload more efficiently, noting that the attainment of speedy and quality justice depends on many factors including the diligence of the judiciary officers.
He calls for all judicial officers to be committed to the hearing and determination of cases within a reasonable time.
“As individual judicial officers, the management of cases should be with the demonstration of the highest standards of honesty, integrity, fairness, and independence in the discharge of duties as well as impeccable conduct on and off the bench, as it will inspire and retain the confidence of the public,” CJ Jallow told judicial officers on Sunday.
He disclosed that the Computer Aided Recording and Transcription System (CATS) which will gradually replace manual recording of court proceedings has been successfully installed in three out of the six courts that were identified in the pilot phase of the project, adding that the system is already making a significant difference in those courts.
The president of the Gambia Bar Association Ms. Neneh M.C.Cham said that the role of The Gambia Bar Association is set out in Article 2 of the 1997 Constitution which according to her includes promoting and defending the rule of law, human rights, justice, the independence of the judiciary and legal fraternity as a whole.
”It is, therefore, the role of the Gambia Bar Association to support initiatives that strengthen the legal profession and uphold democratic principles, it is part of the role of the GBA to express its views on any matter of public interest or of interest to the legal profession, this we do through issuing public statements on paternity issues, which we do on the independence of the judiciary,” she stated.
According to Cham the constructive criticism of The Gambia Bar Association will help the government identify and address issues of the judiciary.
