By Tabora Bojang
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dawda Jallow has rejected calls for him to resign over the embarrassing failure of the State in the case against Ousianou Bojang who was recently acquitted for the murder of two police officers.
The accused and her sister walked away after the High Court ruled that the State did not provide enough proof to secure conviction. But as soon as the siblings were released, police ambushed them at the prison gate, took them to police headquarters in Banjul before returning them to Mile 2 Prison. That action sparked a violent protest in Brufut and widespread criticisms for its illegality and calls for heads to roll including that of the minister of justice Dawda Jallow.
But when ask to respond to concerns about the State’s failure in this case and other high profiled cases lost by the State, at a press conference yesterday, Mr Jallow said he is staying put unless he is told to go by the president.
“I am serving at the pleasure of the president. If something arises that I think I could no longer take, I will resign. I don’t need anybody to advise me to resign ,and so until the president whose pleasure I am serving decides to ask me to pack, I am here and I don’t get intimidated in doing my job,” Jallow said.
He accused our reporter who asked the question of only looking at the negatives. “How many positives have been achieved during my time? We are even here to celebrate a very key milestone, the appointment of a Special Prosecutor and nobody will credit that. I will be six years in office this June and within that period, well, the records are there to speak for themselves. Which Justice Ministry do you see in the world that wins all its cases? The courts are not controlled by us and that is what we desire in a democracy. The courts are supposed to be independent. They are supposed to assess evidence and make conclusions. Yes, we suffered a defeat but acquittal does not equate innocence,” he explained.
Jallow insisted he will not resign just because a couple of cases are lost in court. “I am dealing with those challenges to find out why cases are being lost and how we resolve them,” he assured.
Regret over Ousainou’s rearrest
Asked about the re-arresting of Bojang and his sister Amie which many condemned as abuse of power, Minister Jallow said: “To be rearrested after a court acquittal is not lawful. It is regrettable that it happened without a further court order but necessary interventions were done and he [Ousainou] was released immediately the following morning.”
