The mayor of Banjul, Roheyatou Malick Lowe, has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal of The Gambia challenging the adverse findings and recommendations made against her by the Commission of Inquiry into the Conduct of Local Government Councils.
In a Notice of Appeal filed on 3rd August 2026 by her lawyer, Abdoulie Fatty of A Fatty & Co, under Civil Appeal No GCA/093/2026, Mayor Lowe is appealing against the whole of the adverse findings which were communicated to her on 12th May 2026.
The attorney general has been named as the Respondent in the matter.
In the five grounds of appeal, Mayor Lowe argues that the Commission misdirected itself in law and exceeded its jurisdiction.
According to the court document, the mayor has contended that the commission held her liable for legal duties not imposed on the office of mayor by the 1997 Constitution or any other written law.
She further argued that the commission misconstrued the powers of the mayor under the Local Government Act 2002, and attributed to her responsibilities that the act vests in the chief executive officer, who is the accounting officer responsible for the day-to-day administration of the council.
On procedural fairness, Mayor Lowe claimed that the commission violated her constitutional right to a fair hearing under Sections 24, 202 and 204 of the Constitution, by failing to provide her with the Commission’s Report, witness statements, exhibits and other evidence relied upon before making adverse findings against her.
The notice of appeal also stated that the commission made adverse findings without identifying any specific law she breached or any specific act or omission constituting a breach, and failed to distinguish between the political leadership role of the mayor and the executive role of the chief executive officer.
She also argued that the findings are against the weight of evidence, that the evidence before the commission was insufficient to support the findings, and that it ignored evidence favourable to her.
Mayor Lowe is asking the Court of Appeal to allow the appeal, set aside all adverse findings and consequential recommendations made against her, and declare the findings unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void.
The Commission of Inquiry into the Conduct of Local Government Councils was established by the Government to inquire into the financial and administrative operations of local councils.
As of press time, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the appeal.
