Africa-Press – Gambia. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dawda A. Jallow, on Monday made his first appearance before the National Assembly Select Committee tasked with investigating the sale and disposal of assets belonging to former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh.
During the session, Counsel Lamin M. Dibba questioned the Attorney General about the rationale behind the establishment of the committee. In response, Mr. Jallow indicated that his understanding was limited to the legal notice that constituted the committee’s formation. He explained that he had reviewed the notice’s preliminary paragraphs, which outline the government’s official reasoning for setting up the commission.
“Anything outside of that I don’t know because I have never interacted with anybody to find out what was the rationale because I was not in office at the time it was created,” the Attorney General stated.
Counsel Dibba acknowledged that while Jallow was not serving as Attorney General at the time, the Ministry of Justice remains the custodian of all legal policy and executive legal advice. As such, he suggested that any documentation detailing the reasoning behind the establishment of the commission should be preserved within the ministry’s records.
In response, the Attorney General stated that he had not come across any such records but assured the committee that if they were interested, he would conduct a search and provide any relevant documents. The committee then formally requested that the documents be submitted.
Counsel Dibba proceeded to read Legal Notice No. 15 of 2017, which referenced preliminary reports from various institutions. The Attorney General read the document aloud before the committee.
Following this, Counsel Dibba inquired whether the ministry had any records explaining why the government opted for a commission of inquiry rather than other mechanisms, such as an investigation by the Auditor General, the Inspector General of Police, or a special prosecutor or task force.
“To be honest I never expect, I would be given on the mind of the ministry for a time that I was not in the ministry, unless it is memorialized in writing, I can search for those documents but what was the thinking at the time, I don’t think I am competent to testify on that,” Jallow replied.
Counsel Dibba emphasized that the Ministry of Justice is an institution of continuity and record-keeping. He noted that while the current Attorney General may not have been present during the commission’s formation, the committee hoped he could clarify the ministry’s official position. If not, Dibba added, the committee would accept his views in his current capacity.
Jallow maintained that beyond the documentary records, any human considerations or internal deliberations at the time were beyond his ability to address.
The committee concluded the session by reiterating their request for any relevant documents from the Attorney General’s office.
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