By Bruce Asemota
Following repeated requests for adjournment, the High Court in Banjul yesterday rebuked the Medicine Control Agency (MCA) and ordered it to pay for causing an avoidable delay in the ongoing trial concerning the deaths of multiple children allegedly linked to contaminated pharmaceutical products.
The court expressed deep concern over the continued hardship faced by bereaved families who have been attending the proceedings with their counsel with dignity and resilience with the MCA always asking for time to bring in witnesses.
According to presiding judge Ebrima Jaiteh in the spirit of sanity of timely justice, the court has ordered MCA to pay the sum of D2,500 as compensation to each of the plaintiffs present in court citing the agency’s unpreparedness as an unacceptable dereliction of duty in a case of profound national interest.
At yesterday’s sitting, where the MCA requested for yet another adjournment, Counsel Mballow representing the agency, apologised for the delay and urged the court to waive the costs.
Justice Jaiteh asserted that in the broader interest of justice and to ensure that all relevant issues are fully canvassed, the court will grant the application to adjourn the case to recall the Atlantic Pharmaceutical Company Limited Director, Ali Schuman but pointed out that the delay occasioned by the unpreparedness of the MCA warrants an award of costs.
Hearing continues on today.
