It has become increasingly common to hear that people who believe that they have been wronged in one way or the other resort to filing court cases against the individual who has allegedly wronged them. This may be due to cases where people have suffered loss of property or sometimes defamation.
With the proliferation of lawyers from the University of The Gambia and others from overseas, it was to be expected that Gambians will begin to go to court more often. Many a time though, these cases end up being withdrawn because the opposing parties opt for amicable settlement outside court.
Perhaps that is a good thing because court cases are expensive and time consuming. There are cases that drag for years without reaching their natural conclusions. Perhaps this could be due to the fact that some of the courts have a backlog of cases so huge that it is difficult for them to clear.
The frequency of court cases may also indicate that Gambians generally trust the judicial system such that when they have disputes they believe that the courts will arbitrate fairly between the parties. This is good for democracy as the judicial system is a strong pillar of democracy.
Albiet, recent happenings involving some judicial officials threaten to erode the trust that many used to repose in the courts, as it were. This has the potential of making it such that no one will have the complete confidence that if they take their issues to court they will receive justice.
Another point to be learnt from the many court cases, especially with defamation of character, is the fact that citizens have to be extremely cautious when they speak or write about other people, especially public figures. Social media has made it such that a person can sit in the comfort of their room and destroy another individual’s life completely.
The latest case involves the former lead counsel of the Janneh Commission, Amie Bensouda, and the former executive secretary of the commission, Alhaji Mamadi Kurang.The public is watching to see how this will unfold.
