Magistrates To Meet Chief Justice Over Borry Touray's Sacking
The Daily Observer
July 13, 2000
Banjul - Some magistrates in the country will today have audience with the chief
justice, Felix Lartey, to register their disappointment and disapproval about
the sacking of their colleague, Magistrate Borry Touray, judicial sources told
Daily Observer .
Magistrate Touray was sacked shortly after he handed down a ruling in the case
between the state and 24 members of the UDP, charged with the murder of APRC
supporter, Alieu Njie.
The sacked magistrate told the Independent newspaper that his sacking was
"engineered" by the Office of the President and "only formalised by the Judicial
Service Commission."
A senior magistrate yesterday told this paper, "There is absolutely no reason
given for Borry's dismissal. Magistrates have always suffered this kind of
actions and we feel that it is time we make a strong protest against this
actions."
The protesting magistrate added, "We wish to express our deep concern about the
position of the magistrates in general in this country and the whole process of
judicial system and the maintenance of impartiality of the bench as a whole."
The magistrate said the sacking of Borry Touray could not be justified, "because
there is a proviso, and that is, the chief justice has the power to review
decisions of magistrates."
He also said there are legal provisions for aggrieved litigants to file appeals
to contest a magistrate's decisions.
"We will ask for his reinstatement. We have already briefed the Master (of High
Court) about our planned meeting with the chief justice," the magistrate
concluded.
Contacted yesterday for confirmation of the planned meeting between the
magistrates and the chef justice, the High Court Master, Ousman Jammeh, said,
"Nobody briefed me. In any case, magistrates are free to come and see the chief
justice at any time."
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