By Omar Bah
The Turkish Embassy in Banjul as part of their contribution towards the transformation of the justice system in the Gambia Tuesday donated equipment worth over D70, 000 to the ministry of justice.
The donated equipment, which included 10 computers, printers and sets of UPS, were handed to the justice minister by the Turkish Ambassador at the ministry’s conference hall.
Speaking shortly before the official handing-over, the Turkish ambassador Ismail Sefa Yuceer said the donation is in recognition of the important role that is played by the ministry of justice in helping Gambia in Her realization of the new-found democracy.
He said the new Gambia needs support especially in the areas of justice.
“I believe the ministry of justice will continue to play a very important role in helping the country to realize its dreams of transformation ‘especially in the areas of justice,” he said.
He said the equipment will help ease the work of the Ministry and as well help capacitise the ministry.
“We aware of the commitment of the Minister of justice, and we want to assure you that we will continue to give you maximum support,” he reassured.
He also hinted on the possibility of exchange expertise between the staff of the ministry of justice and the Turkish justice academy.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Justice Aboubacarr Tambadou said his Ministry is lucky to have had a relationship with the Turkish government through their ambassador in the Gambia.
“The ministry is grateful to the government of Turkey. I also want to tell you that this donation will go a long way in easing the already difficult working conditions at the ministry,” he said.
He added: “My priority as I said from the beginning, is that we need to strengthen the capacity of the ministry both human and material capacity. The ministry needs to be equipped with resources so that we would be able to provide the quality service.”
He said given the fact that the ministry is in the business of justice delivery, “I want emphasise that, it is not only about the speed, but about the quality.”
“I have no doubt that these materials will help us close the gap between the private and the public Bar in terms of not only accessing research tools to be able to create a better equality of arms between us and the private Bar but also our productiveness,” he said.
He coded the need for his staff to have the needed exposure to other legal frameworks around the world to serve the public effectively.
