The United Democratic Party has issued a statement condemning “in strongest possible terms the outrageous allegations” that the government spokesman, Ebrima Sankareh, made during his interview with Peter Gomez of West Coast Radio on Thursday.
The statement reads: “In his interview he falsely alleged that the suspect in this heinous crime is associated with the UDP and that suspect is an employee of the Brikama Area Council which the Brikama Area Council has publicly rebutted.
“UDP believes that it is reckless and dangerous for the government spokesman to comment on an ongoing criminal investigation because this may lead him to make false and or misleading statements that will complicate the work of law enforcement officers
“Secondly, the Inspector General of Police has the legal mandate to brief the public, if necessary, on any ongoing investigation without compromising sources and methods or divulging sensitive or classified information to the public. In this regard UDP urges the IGP to call on government officials particularly the government spokesman to fact-check all information before sharing it with the public.
“Given the specialist nature of criminal investigations, rules of evidence and other procedural requirements of the law, UDP believes that only the Gambia Police Force has the competence to provide useful information to the public that is clearly traumatised by this heinous crime. The government spokesman ought to know better than speculating about an ongoing investigation or casting aspersions on the character of law-abiding persons and institutions.
“Thirdly, criminal responsibility according to Gambian law is extremely strictly personal as to who bears it in each case. The responsibility in a criminal matter rests squarely with the accused person or persons as the case may be. It has nothing to do with a person’s religious ethnic or political affiliations.
“Finally, UDP believes that the IGP will carry out a thorough and complete investigation into the matter and the culprit(s) prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and this is not the time for the government spokesman to traffic in bombast or make baseless allegations and bogus analysis on matters he has no competence in. The UDP urges all Gambians to assist the police in their investigation.”
