The Independent Published Friday, May 17, 2002
Mobile phones ignite quarrel in court Police officer and lawyers clash
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Court No. 2 of the High Court in Banjul was the scene of a quarrel between a
police officer and lawyers taking part in a case that was suddenly
interrupted for more than ten minutes. The officer Assan Joof was incensed
after his attempt to seize a ringing mobile phone was rebuffed by Lawyer
Richel Mendy, resulting in a verbal war, which temporarily halted
proceedings as the presiding judge Justice Wallace Grante looked on
bewildered beyond words. The awry scene was ignited by the mobile phone of
Lawyer Ida Drammeh, which shattered the shrill silence of the court with a
sharp ring.
In execution of the order of the court to seize all ringing mobile phones
during court proceedings, Assan Joof went ahead to seize it from her. But
Mrs. Mendy made some comments, which angered Joof who became more determined
to wrest the communication instrument from her as she retorted that the
First Class had no business with her mobile phone.
Tempers calmed shortly but while lawyer Sydney Riley was addressing the
court, his mobile phone rang, prompting Assan Joof to attempt to seize it.
But Riley refused to comply with the court order to surrender his mobile
phone to the police officer. Assan Joof’s insistence and Lawyer Riley’s
dogged refusal to surrender his mobile phone set the scene for prolonged
jostling between the two men.
As the stand-off continued, Mendy abruptly rose as if she was delivering a
submission in a hotly contested case, and told Justice Wallace Grante, the
presiding judge, that the police officer was being “very rude”. She said
that even his (the officer’s) mobile phone had tore through the silence of
the court, although it was not taken from him. She further informed the
court that while she was talking to Miss Drammeh, the police officer
involved himself in the discussion and made “rude” statements against her.
While she was on her feet, Joof was still standing near Lawyer Riley
demanding the mobile phone.
Angered by those comments, he suddenly shouted at the top of his voice, ‘I
am not rude! You are rude! You better mind your business. This is an order
by the judge and that is why I am doing it. It is not my intention, but I am
executing my duty. In fact it is not true that my mobile phone rang in
court.’ The quarrel degenerated further with all of them shouting at the top
of their voice, while other lawyers present stared at them in bewilderment.
‘I was just talking to Miss Drammeh and he told me that ‘it’s not your
business,’ Lawyer Mendy told the court. ‘Well it’s not your business. You
want to embarrass me and I will not accept it. I respect my uniform and
nobody will embarrass me particularly when I am executing my duties. You
rude lawyer! Can’t you just mind your business?” Joof retorted again,
drawing more attention.’ With these angry comments, Lawyer Mendy was left
with no words but, “you hear my lord, You hear?” Justice Grante who also
appeared taken aback by the situation repeatedly banged his desk to restore
order in the court. ‘I will talk to Riley in chambers’ he said, and Assan
Joof who seemed unhappy with Justice Grante’s move, handed back to Miss
Drammeh her mobile phone.
Since the advent of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) last
year, mobile phones have almost become controversial communication tools,
causing the Speaker of the National Assembly to ban mobile phones from being
used during sessions.
By the same token Justice Grante had also banned the operation of mobile
phones in his court and ordered that any mobile that rings while the court
was in session would be seized. Many lawyers and those who witness sittings
from the court’s public gallery have been affected by the ban including
senior lawyers like Ousainou Darboe, whose mobile phone was seized although
it was later returned to him.
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