By Omar Bah
The government has accepted the TRRC recommendation to direct the General Legal Council to petition and interrogate the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lamin A.M.S Jobarteh and revoke his practising license.
In its White Paper on the TRRC recommendations, government said it will refer the recommendation to the General Legal Council to review and decide whether to institute disciplinary proceedings on the revocation of Mr Jobarteh’s practising licence. The truth commission in its report found that the execution of the nine death row inmates in August 2012 was procedurally unlawful as it violated the provisions stipulated under the Criminal Code. Consequently, the Commission also found that the former Justice Minister Jobarteh allegedly participated in organising the execution of the nine death row inmates without the due process of the law.
Separation of AG from justice ministry
Meanwhile, the government has accepted the TRRC’s recommendation for it to study the implications of the fusion of the two positions of Attorney General and Minister of Justice and consider the potential benefits of separating the two functions for more effective administration of justice.
“As part of the ongoing legislative reform the government will review the desirability or not of the fusion of both roles,” the government White Paper said.
Missing babies
The government has also accepted the commission’s recommendation for the establishment of a taskforce comprising of seasoned investigators, medical personnel, social welfare officers and forensic experts and wildlife officers to investigate allegations of; missing babies (the identities of these babies, circumstances of their disappearance and where they disappeared to and by whom), the disposal of the bodies and whereabouts, to investigate the crocodile ponds in Kanilai in order to determine whether babies and other human remains were disposed or dumped there.
“The Government will work closely with development partners and institutions such as the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) to ensure adequate resources and expertise are available for the search and identification of burial sites including the crocodile pond in Kanilai, and excavation of the said missing babies alleged to have been killed. The Government will work towards putting in place the necessary cooperation frameworks with the Government of Senegal with regards to those burial sites that are suspected to be located across the southern border in Senegalese territory,” the government added.
