FOROYAA NEWSPAPER Issue No. 41/ 2004, 24-26 May, 2004 Editorial THE PRESIDENT AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS In Ghana, the truth and reconciliation commission has been sitting to review the violations, which occurred during the Rawlings era. The type of issues being raised are due to the exercise of power without respect to democratic laws and principles. For example during operation no compromise some people unilaterally proceeded to seize properties and sell them at prices determined by them. Today the prices have increased again without any compensation to the victims. In short, expectations were raised without achieving results. People still find themselves in hell fire despite the claim of good intention. In the same vein, a cleansing exercise, which would have been done voluntarily and in good faith, is circumscribed by dictatorial commands to restrict freedom of movement and business activity from 9 to 1 p.m. Now a Press, which is already represented and required to sign bonds amounting to D100, 000 is being compelled to register under a law which simply asserts that no person should disseminate information through any medium of mass communication without registration as a media organization or practitioner, a law which excludes the state media which is an act of discrimination. Violation of property rights and personal liberties, restriction of movement and forced labour are all attributed to tyrants. This goes along with the personality cult of leaders, who consider freedoms and rights as idealistic concepts, which they should merely pay lip service to. The conception of fundamental freedom as dreams that cannot be achieved instead of codes of conduct for democratic governance is the beginning of tyranny. Africa is entering a new phase of its history. The only way we can claim an honourable place in contemporary history is when we have governments and people who take fundamental rights and freedoms as guides for personal and official conduct. Governments, which hold such rights and freedoms in contempt, are not fit to preside over the affairs of modern nations. The Gambian people should now ask President Jammeh what his ideology is? He is fond of mentioning Communism, Socialism, Liberalism and even Confusionism in describing the political shades in the Gambia. Now one should ask what type of ism is he practicing in the Gambia that is responsible of such undemocratic attitude manifested by continuous issuing of threats to the existence of democratic values and institutions? In a democratic society it is such issues that should become election platforms. The people will ultimately have the right to make leaders pay for the transgression of their rights. This is why each should concentrate in telling the government what is best and leave them to decide to follow or turn their back at sound suggestions. There should be no despair. The future is to be determined by the people. Halifa’s Letter To The Bar On the Need For A Constitution (Validation) Act Which Constitution Is The Constitution? As a National Assembly Member I have been impressed by the seasoned debate that must be developing among legal professionals and scholars. The law is the bedrock of a constitutional order. Without its development and correct interpretation the rule of law is derailed by ambiguities, uncertainties, inconsistencies and impunity. I have followed the debate on the appointment of Honourable Gibou Janneh as acting chief justice. In my view the debate should go further than it has and I would like to have your opinion on my plan to promote the drafting of a constitution validation bill for review and passing by the National Assembly so that it becomes law when assented to by the president. This will enable the Gambian people to have the authentic version of the constitution. At the moment there are three-printed versions of the constitution and all of them have serious defects. It is my opinion that there is need for a Constitution (Validation) Act to rectify the anomalies once and for all. In fact, the opinions expressed by different members of the bar have been affected by the different versions of the constitution. In my first contribution to the debate I looked at one version, that is the most recent publication of the constitution. Section 139 (1), which establishes the criteria for the appointment of chief justice, reads: “ A person shall be qualified for appointment as chief justice if he/she is qualified to be appointed judge of the supreme court or has been a judge of a superior court of a common law country for not less than ten years.”(emphasis mine) In this provision once the person is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court he could be appointed chief justice. On the other hand, if a person has been a judge of a superior court of a common law country for ten years one could be appointed as chief justice. On the other hand, section 139 (1) of the first printed version of the constitution reads: “A person shall be qualified for appointment as chief justice if he/she is qualified to be appointed a judge of the supreme court and has been a judge of a superior court in s common law country for not less than ten years.” (emphasis mine). This provision makes it mandatory for the person not only to be qualified to be appointed a judge of the supreme court but must have been a judge of a superior court in a common law country for at least ten years prior to appointment. The two constitutions are speaking two different languages regarding qualification for appointment as chief justice. This duplicity in the law should not be tolerated by legal practitioners, the administrators of the law and the makers of the law. I am currently doing a research on the inconsistencies of the different versions of the constitution in preparation to make a case for the drafting of the Constitution of The Gambia (Validation) Bill. The bar association would do this nation great justice if they start to expose and challenge these inconsistencies in the courts in order to give legitimacy, vitality and dynamism to the whole rectification process. While anticipating a principled stand on the subject I remain Yours in the service of the nation. Halifa Sallah, National Assembly Member Serrekunda Central Constituency Court Turns Down Juwara’s Bail Application The Gambia Court of Appeal presided over by Justice Gibou Janneh has turned down an application for bail filed by Lawyer Borry Touray seeking the release of Lamin Waa Juwara, Secretary General of the National Democratic Action Movement (NDAM), from prison custody. The application which was heard by Justice Gibou Janneh in chambers was filed by Borry Touray shortly after Juwara was convicted and sentenced to six months of imprisonment by Justice M.A Paul for uttering seditious words contrary to the criminal code, laws of the Gambia 1990. Lamin Waa Juwara has already served two thirds of his prison term at Mile Two Central Prisons. Borry Touray has also filed an appeal at the Gambia Court of appeal challenging the conviction of his client. However, that appeal is yet to be heard by the court. APRC Seeks Compromise In LRD The arrest, detention, trial and subsequent conviction and imprisonment of Baba Jobe has definitely impacted on the political situation in Jarra, particularly Jarra West. Anger, bitterness, frustration vacillation and feeling of betrayal are the order of the day. The fate of Baba Jobe is the talk of the “ Bantaba”. Rumours and speculation of his release and a deal are rife. It is in this context that the new APRC mobilizer, Mr. Bala Garba Jahumpa and his delegation landed themselves in Jarra. Before his arrival meetings of APRC stalwarts were held at Kaira Konko. Former Commissioner for North Bank Division, Modou Soma Jobe, Phoday Lang Sarr, Salifu Poui and others called for reconciliation and dialogue. They called on the youths to come out in full force in support of the president during his “dialogue with the people” tour. They also declared their loyalty to APRC and called on others to emulate them. In particular Modou Soma Jobe said, “One should have faith and accept what comes on one’s way.” A similar meeting was held in Kiang Kaiaf. After the departure of MPs Sarr, Cham, Kambi and others the SoS for Works and Infrastructure Mr. Bala Garba Jahumpa also came and had a meeting at the office of the Commissioner at Mansakonko where people were transported from the six districts with their Chiefs as team leaders. Mr. SOS also in his words called for reconciliation within the party and reassured the members that the president’s moves are geared towards the betterment of the poor. He spoke of the arrangement for the 22nd July celebrations to be decentralized and also called on the people of LRD to welcome the president’s forthcoming dialogue with the people tour. Commissioner Sainey Suso also made similar contributions. A speaker at the meeting told the SoS that there is a lot of hypocrisy going on within the party; that this is why the party seems to lose popularity. CONTINENT BANK: Options FOROYAA’s office has been flooded with letters and depositors of the defunct Continent Bank who have become angry, frustrated and disillusioned with the lack of progress in recovering their monies. In this issue we publish an edited version of one of the letters for the authorities to understand the plight of the depositors and be prompted to redouble their effort to ensure that the depositors regain their hard earned monies. The critical situation of these depositors has led FOROYAA to conduct an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the delay in payment of their monies and what needs to be done to recover them. When the bank became bankrupt the Central Bank closed it as it is empowered to do by law. By March last year the High Court put the Continent Bank under receivership and appointed KPMG as the liquidator. When KPMG took over receivership the bank had only 3 million dalasis in its coffers while the total owed to depositors amounted to 75 million dalasis. KPMG issued public notices urging debtors to come forward and repay their debts but little progress was made. In July and August last year 22 cases were filed in court in a bid to recover a substantial sum of money that would enable the firm to pay something to the debtors. The cases that involve debtors owing more than one million dalasis are as follows: Alhagie Kanteh D2.8 million GAGS Construction D10 million KSK Enterprise D4.4 million Atom Construction D5.2 million Phoday Lang Sarr D1.6 million Sinchu Farms D1.3 million Alhagie Marong D1.3 million Global Travel Agency D2 million Sanneh & Ceesay D5 million Momodou Dian Diallo D1.1 million Total D34.7 million So far judgment has been delivered on only one case. GAGS has been ordered to pay the D9.994 (approximately D10 million) it owes. If payment is not effected within 30 days the properties of GAGS will be sold. The snag here is that experts estimate the properties of GAGS to be less than D1 million. The remaining 21 cases are yet to be dealt with. Another problem we discovered in our investigation is that some monies will be difficult to recover or will not be recovered at all. Some like Babanding Sissoho owe D8 million. When his hotel was sold the amount owed to the bank was not considered. Now, Babanding Sissoho is not in The Gambia. Loans were also issued without addresses being taken. For example, Bensi Contract were issued with a loan without an address being taken. The liquidators cannot trace them to recover the D900,000 they owe the bank. There are many cases of this nature. Furthermore overdrafts were issued to many individuals in small amounts of a few thousand e.g. D10,000. These overdrafts, which have no security, amount to D20 million. Staff loans amount to D1.6 million. Progress Made So Far What progress has been made so far? When the bank took over D3 million was there. From the time of appointment of receivership to date, 16 million dalasis has been collected bring the total balance to D19 million. This is only 25 % or ¼ of the total sum owed to depositors. If this sum is shared the depositors cannot earn more than a quarter of what is owed to them. Don’t forget that tax and expenditure will have to be deducted before the amount is shared. Options What options are open for the depositors to be paid a substantial sum of their monies if not all? The following help to facilitate the process: a) We have seen that the total debt involved the ten major cases for which the total sum claimed exceeds 1 million dalasis is 34.7 million dalasis. It took about an hour to deal with the GAGS Construction case. When we asked an officer of court whether the delay is due to the pressure in the courts she opined that the courts are sleeping. Whatever the case may be one thing is clear. Cases of the nature filed are not expected to take long because witnesses are not called. The judge relies on affidavits and can dispose of a case within an hour or two. It is also self-evident that it may take 10 to 20 hours to dispose of the remaining 9 cases. In short, within matter of days, orders for payment can be issued by the judge. If payment is not made within 30 days the properties can be sold. In this way it is possible to recover D34.7 million between June and July. When this is added to D19 million it would give a total of D53.7 million, more than 70 % of the sum owed. b) Accruing Interest: At the moment the D19 million deposited in the Central Bank is not attracting interest because the Central Bank declines to do otherwise. If this sum is invested in treasury bills it can accrue interest at the rate of 31 % amounting to almost D6 million in a year or about D1.5 million in three months. When D1.5 million is added to D53.7 million the total is D55.2 million i.e. 74 % of the total amount owed. In other words, it is possible to recover ¾ of the amount owed in 3 months. c) Your Representative Should Honour Their Words: Between them National Assembly members owe the bank over D6 million dalasis. For example, Phoday Lang Sarr alone owes D1.6 million. Recently he repaid a pittance of D1000 out of the total sum of D1.6 million. If representatives make effort to pay back the monies they owe within 3 months this will make it possible to recover more than 80 % in 3 months. These National Assembly members should be reminded of section112 paragraph (b) which states, “ All member shall regard themselves as servants of the people of The Gambia, desist from any conduct by which they seek improperly to enrich themselves or alienate themselves from the people, and shall discharge their duties and functions in the interest of the nation as a whole and in doing so shall be influenced by the dictates of conscience and the national interest.” d) Payment By Central Bank: Some experts argue that the Central Bank is responsible for monitoring the banks and that they should take the responsibility to provide a portion of the money for immediate payment to depositors. They can then recover this sum from the liquidator since the recovery of debts is taking time and depositors cannot wait for a long time. To conclude, if these options are explored it will go a long way in resolving the problem. The Media and the Media Commission Act After the ultimatum given to media houses to be registered or cease operation and the media blackout, there was consultation between the stakeholders. This led to an understanding between the department of state, the national media commission and the media houses. The following letter written by the executive secretary of the National Media Commission was addressed to all media houses: “Following a meeting of various stakeholders the National Commission wishes to inform you that the period of registration of media Organisations/media practitioners has been extended to three months. This is to enable the parties arrive at a resolution of the matter of registration through dialogue. We wish to state once again that the doors of the National Media Commission are always open to all parties...” Radio 1 FM, The Point, The Independent, Gambia News and Report, The Nation, FOROYAA and the Gambia Press Union responded with the following letter. “Dear Sir, “We the undersigned representatives of the Media houses concerned do wish to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 17th May 2004 conveying your decision to extend the deadline for the registration of media organizations and media practitioners for a period of three calendar months. “We appreciate the indication that your doors are open for discussions, which are of mutual benefit to all parties. You would recall that your press release is a by product of the meeting we had with the chairperson of the Media Commission, the Secretary of State for Information, Communication and Technology and other stakeholders. We would wish to note that the extension of the deadline was not only designed to restrict the dialogue to the question of registration but to incorporate the totality of our views as stakeholders in the revisiting of every aspect of the Media Commission Act. We therefore anticipate that the issues and understanding reached during the discussion as reflected in the minutes attached under this memorandum will be the basis of future discussion among all stakeholders.” Meanwhile, consultation between the parties continues. University Of The Gambia Science Club Biogas Project The Science Club of the University of The Gambia was established in May 2002. Its main goal is to promote science and technology education and embarks on the following. Research Activities ·Field excursions – both nationally and internationally. Environmental Activities ·Organizing free tutorials for both students of The University of The Gambia and outside. In that light, the science club embarked on a gas project, which started on the 13th of September 2003. This research project was conceived by members with the advice of the lecturer of the University of The Gambia, Dr, Paul Mathews and with the expert assistance from Allabatu Jatta of the Department of Livestock services (DLS). The research plant is located at the University Administrative Building Grounds on the MDI Road. The principal aim of the research project is to use animal of domestic waste to produce gas, which can be used to generate light and heat for domestic use particularly in rural communities. The Biogas research project will be a prototype for members of the club and other interested students of the university to learn from its appropriate technology and will in turn sell this technology in any community they may find themselves after their university education. This Biogas research project is viewed suitable for The Gambia because of the following advantages associated with it:- · It is an appropriate technology that can be easily accepted · All materials involves are available locally · Environmentally friendly · Potential substitute for fuel wood as more than 80 – 90% of energy for household in The Gambia comes from the forest, which may not be sustainable ·Sustainability:- The raw materials of this research project is readily available in this country with less cost if any. ·The decomposed raw material serves as a ready organic manure for farmers and this can cut down the cost on chemical fertilizer for farmers. The Biogas project, since inception has produced encouraging results because at the first test, it generated some gas. However, since research is an on going process, it has been realized that the present set up of the plant has to be improved upon to maximize gas production. It is this important expansion that requires extra funding, since all the financial resources of the club have been used to come up with the first phase of the project with the support of the Social Development Fund (SDF). In this regard, the executive and members of the science club of the University of The Gambia is soliciting financial support from individuals, institutions, organizations, government departments and the business community for expansion of this important research project in our academic endeavour. We do hope that helping (students) in the University to carry out such a research means opening a wider gateway in the expansion of the knowledge of Science and technology in this country. We therefore solicit your kind assistance on behalf of the club and the university of The Gambia in general. University of The Gambia Science Club Account Number at TRUST BANK: 1127420801, West Field Or contact number: (220) 99-190-69 (220) 99-884-39 (220) 99-560-93 (220) 99-316-64 Issue No. 42/ 2004, 27-30 May, 2004 Editorial CONTINENT BANK THE WAY FORWARD The mother of a young person currently in Germany was almost in tears as she explained her terrible experience with the Continent Bank. They induced her to convince her two sons to move their accounts to Continent Bank claiming that it is a people’s bank, which gives loans without any bottlenecks to help its customers. Now the price of cement has gone up to D190 per bag. One of the sons wanted to start building a house since last year but the more than ¼ of a million Dalasis deposited at the bank is in limbo. The mother who was seen as a wealthy person goes about to look for assistance to support her dwindling business. She asked the son to speak to us to know that she has not misled them. We had to reveal the sad news to the children that because of gross mismanagement under the naked eyes of the Central Bank the Continent Bank was driven to a crisis situation where it had only 3 million in its coffers while it owed depositors 75 million Dalasis. We told them that the bank has been liquidated or put out of business and its assets are being managed by a company called KPMG. KPMG filed 22 cases in court and judgment has been made for one of the major debtors known as GAGS Construction. They are ordered to pay nearly 10 million Dalasis. So far KPMG has been able to collect only 16 million Dalasis in addition to the 3 million it received from the bank when it took charge of its assets. The first problem is that the courts are not functioning to handle the emergency with speed. The delay in reaching a judgment is preventing KPMG from recovering the sums owed through legal actions. Moreover, some of the debtors no longer have assets that could be sold to recover the amount owed. The second problem is that the amount collected is deposited at the Central Bank, which does not pay any interest. In the face of rising cost of living the depositors are being disadvantaged. It is necessary for the measures to be put in place to enable the KPMG to invest on treasury bills or deposit the money in an interest bearing account so that the sum collected will not depreciate in value because of inflationary pressures. The government needs to examine the possibility of getting a soft loan to compensate genuine depositors while providing the enabling environment for KPMG to recover all debts with speed. The depositors are desperate and government should do all it can to address their concerns. Halifa’s Letter To President Jammeh On The Media Commission and Media Organizations Mr. President, Kwame Nkrumah has alluded somewhere that Africa needs a new leadership that is neither greedy nor pompous. This is a call for accountability and humility. It also sums up the qualities necessary in a leadership of a sovereign people who are more public trustees of people’s power and wealth. Any leader who is greedy or pompous is not fit to preside over the affairs of a sovereign people. In my view, the recent comments attributed to you regarding what should happen should there be an impasse on the question of registration of media practitioners and organizations after 90 days do not tally with high grade reasoning or democratic conduct. Democratic leadership is government by consent and not by individual whims and designs. A mature and democratic leader must be interested in the opinion of all stakeholders in a given development before coming up with an informed perspective which should guide policy making. In my view, you allowed emotions to cloud your vision and spoke the language of the heart instead of bowing down to the dictates of a well-informed mind. It is of no surprise to me that tirades and foul language took the place of critical appreciation of the fundamental issues being grappled with by the media practitioners, the members of the commission and your technical advisers. The constitution has made it very clear that the responsibilities of departments of state should be “entrusted to competent persons with relevant qualifications or experience” . One would have thought that before you make a comment on development that took place in your absence you would have wanted to be briefed by your technocrats where competence is now being put to a test by a high grade professional and intellectual debate. Let me proceed to examine the points at issue: First and foremost, you gave the impression that media organizations are trying to evade registration when other organizations are registered. This constitutes a misconception of the true state of affairs. For your information, all newspapers are registered by the registrar general’s office. In fact it is unlawful to publish a newspaper without registration and the signing of a bond since the colonial period. The issuing of decree No. 70 and 71 was accompanied by the raising of the bond from D1,000 to D100,000 or almost £2000. In fact, the reason why there has not been the proliferation of newspapers in the country is because of the sum involved in the bond which requires the pledging of compounds whose values are over D100,000. In addition to this, proprietors, publishers and editors are required by law to provide certain facts to the Registrar General before the 31st of January of each year. All newspapers have been adhering to this. Needless to say, a signed copy of each newspaper is submitted to the registrar general on the day of publication to serve as evidence in any court case. What more does the state need as far as registration and rule of law is concerned. All the instruments are there to make publishers, proprietors, and editors accountable for their publications. Therefore, newspaper proprietors are not trying to evade registration. What they are doing is to challenge the unconstitutional provisions of the Media Commission Act. It is common sense that when legal reforms are made they should be for the better and not for the worse. The National Media Commission Act first came into force in August 2002. However, it did not take long for your technocrats to acknowledge to many of its unconstitutional provisions, which led to either a repeal or modification of more than 26 provisions of the Act. This should have been enough to repeal the Act and open up consultation with all stakeholders to prepare the type of enactment that is envisaged by Section 210 of the constitution which aims to build up a Media Commission designed to serve as a truth and reconciliation commission between journalists and the public or the state to avert court intervention, which takes time and resources. Mr. President, many of the provisions that are left are still unconstitutional. Let me recall an obvious one for your critical appreciation. Section 4 of the Constitution states that “This Constitution is the Supreme Law of The Gambia and any other law found to be inconsistent with any provision of this constitution shall to the extent of the inconsistency, be void”. Section 39 of the Media Commission Act states that “Where any provision of this Act is inconsistent with that of any other law, the provision of this Act shall prevail”. In that sense the Act stands supreme. This constitutes gross contempt of constitutional dictates. This is why many of the provisions of the Media Commission Act are being challenged at the courts. To make matters short, it is necessary to concentrate on the issue of registration. Section 13(1) of the Media Commission Act states that “No person shall, after the commencement of this Act, engage in the dissemination of information by mass communication unless registered as a Media Practitioner or Media Organization, as the case may be, in accordance with this Section”. Media Practitioners interpret this to mean that no person shall engage in the dissemination by mass communication unless one is a Media Practitioner or Media Organization. This is in gross violation of Section 25 of the Constitution, which states categorically that every person in the Gambia has right to freedom of the press and other media. It reads “Every person shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media”. The Constitution empowers every Gambia under section 6 to defend the constitution. It makes provisions under section 5 for those who consider certain laws unconstitutional to bring an action in the courts for a declaration to that effect. Mr. President this is what the Gambia Press Union has done. Section 13 (1) is badly drafted and does not speak the language of Section 25 of the Constitution. It is therefore abundantly clear that there is a reasonable and justifiable ground for asking the Media Commission to hold it’s breathe until the courts preside over the action of the Media Practitioners. From an administrative point of view your technocrats are being asked to explain why a colonial law would accord to newspaper proprietors the right to register their establishments and remain so unless deregistratered for breaking the law while the Media Commission Act calls for annual registration which could lead to administrative interference to bar registration as in the case of Citizen FM. The Gambian Constitution asserts that laws can be made to serve as guards and fences in the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms. However, it makes it mandatory that such laws must be reasonably justifiable in a democratic society. Nothing is more undemocratic than to give an administrative authority to determine who will disseminate information by mass communication on an annual basis without any regulation to restrict abuse of authority and with full immunity from civil proceedings. Section 38 reads “No civil proceedings shall lie against a member or staff of the Commission for anything done in the exercise of his or her official functions under or pursuant to this Act.” Mr. President, the Media Practitioner is simply telling your government the conditions under which the media should operate in a democratic society. You may listen or you may dismiss the concerns with contempt. One thing I would like to assure you is that there will be no vacuum if reason fails to prevail. We will not hesitate to launch a Political Organ to ensure that the citadels of tyranny are razed to the ground. On this score there will be no compromise. We hope you will come to learn that the ears and mouth of a leader is a collective property. Those who cannot think and act in the collective spirit should not preside over the affairs of nations. Under a genuine democratic atmosphere you must acknowledge the possibility of living under the leadership of an alternative government just as others accept to live under your government. With that spirit you would try to create the environment which the best dictate of your mind and conscience permit while others try to prove that they can do better. In the final analysis it is the Gambian people who stand to benefit from the competition for best practice among diverse political forces. We hope you will combat your opponents through examples of best practice rather than by foul language.. This is what will promote liberty and progress. Halifa Sallah. Baba Jobe In Court Bereft National Assembly Member, Ramzia Diab, together with Majanko Samusa of the NCP and other cronies of former Majority Leader Baba Jobe were present in court on Tuesday to witness the seven million Dalasis civil suit involving Guaranty Trust Bank and the following defendants, Momodou Fofana, Baba Jobe, businessman Salifu K. Jaiteh and the Youth Development Enterprise (YDE). Baba Jobe appeared in court on Tuesday in normal attire under the escort of prison wardens. When the case was called, the lawyer for Guaranty Trust, Sheriff Marie Tambedou stood up to say that talks have commenced between the parties involved except the third defendant Salifu K. Jaiteh, noting that dialogue between parties centered on how to settle the matter out of court. “We therefore crave your lordship’s indulgence for the matter to be adjourned to enable us conclude settlement talks between the first defendant, Momodou Fofana, second defendant, Baba Jobe and the YDE”, Lawyer Tambedou posited. For his part, Lawyer Edu Gomez told the court that he received instructions from his client to enter into a meaningful and fruitful talks in order to resolve the issues in the suit peacefully, amicably and expeditiously. “In the meantime, I will apply to this, court for a period of not more than seven days from today’s date to formally file a memorandum of appearance on behalf of my clients,” he remarked. Surahata Janneh, the lawyer for Salifu K. Jaiteh, told the court that he received no instructions from his client. Justice Savage granted the application made by the parties and adjourned the matter till 14th of June 2004. SUKU SINGHATEH’S CASE CONTINUES IN COURT The civil case involving the embattled Youth Development Enterprise and National Assembly member, Suku Singhateh, resumed at the Banjul High Court on Monday before Justice Savage. Despite the absence of Suku Singhateh in court, the matter was called and his lawyer Ousman Jammeh announced his representation for him. Ousman Jammeh told the court that the parties have agreed to settle the matter out of court. The matter was adjourned by the presiding judge. Edu Gomez, the lawyer of the plaintiff, Youth Development Enterprise informed this paper that Suku is cooperating so far and has in fact paid part of the debt owed to YDE. He said they have agreed to settle the matter out of court and Suku has promised to pay. The Youth Development Enterprise which has been ordered by the Banjul High Court to pay the debt it owed the GPA and the Customs and Excise Department, recently instituted legal action against Suku after he defaulted in repaying a debt totaling over two million Dalasis due to the plaintiff. The Supplementary Registration Of Voters 2004 Preliminary figures of voters registered during the Supplementary Registration of Voters held between 19th April to 17th may 2004 are listed below for each of the Seven Administrative Areas in the country. Banjul 1499 Kanifing 8044 Brikama 14,687 Mansakonko 5296 Kerewan 6734 Janjanbureh 8994 Basse 10,669 Total 55,923 Lists of the registered voters will be published on the 1st June 2004 by constituency for public scrutiny in accordance with Sections 19 and 132 of the Election Decree. Where there are omissions from these lists or objections against any names listed, a person may with 14 days submit an appeal at any of the IEC Offices in the prescribed “NOTICE OF APPEAL” form, for the matter to be considered in a Revising Court. Please note that the next Supplementary Registration of voters will take place in 2006 prior to the Presidential Elections. Gabriel J. Roberts Chairman Independent Electoral Commission 7 Kairaba Avenue Latrikunda P.O. Box 793 Banjul ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~