Dawda A Jallow The Minister Of Justice
By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Minister of Justice, Dawda A. Jallow, on Wednesday provided an update to members of the National Assembly regarding corruption case files submitted by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The update came during an oral question-and-answer session, where the National Assembly Member for Bakau, Hon. Assan Touray, expressed concern over the rising levels of corruption and the perceived lack of enforcement by the ministry. He urged the minister to disclose the status of corruption-related files received from the IGP’s office and the progress of prosecutions.
In response, Minister Jallow commended Hon. Touray for raising the issue, acknowledging that corruption remains a pressing challenge. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling corruption, emphasizing its detrimental impact on the rule of law, public trust, and socio-economic development.“Corruption undermines the rule of law, erodes public trust and hampers socio-economic development. The office of the IGP has been proactive in forwarding corruption related cases to the ministry of justice for legal review and prosecution,” he said.
Jallow revealed that there are currently eight corruption cases before the courts, all at different stages of trial. These cases involve allegations of embezzlement, bribery, abuse of office, and other corrupt practices. He assured lawmakers that the ministry is closely monitoring these proceedings to ensure due diligence and swift prosecution.“The ministry is closely monitoring these cases to ensure they are prosecuted diligently and expeditiously. In addition to the cases already in the court there are several other files at the legal option stage,” he said.
He explained that at this stage, the ministry conducts a comprehensive review of the evidence to determine whether the cases meet the threshold for prosecution.
Addressing lawmakers, he emphasized that this process is crucial to ensuring that only strong cases proceed to court, as prosecuting weak cases could waste judicial resources and undermine public confidence in the justice system.
He further noted that some case files have been returned to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for further investigation and evidence gathering. This, he clarified, is a standard practice when the available evidence is insufficient to support prosecution. “The ministry works closely with the IGP to provide guidance on specific areas that require additional investigation to strengthen these cases,” he stated.
Regarding the delay in establishing the Anti-Corruption Commission, the minister stressed that efforts to develop a robust mechanism to combat corruption were initiated in 2024. He added that their understanding of the commission’s structure and effectiveness has significantly evolved since then.
He revealed that in January of this year, a public call for applications was announced for the position of chairperson and two additional members of the commission, with a submission deadline set for February 28, 2025.
He also highlighted that a vetting committee was formed and held its first meeting on January 22.“As outlined in its terms of reference the vetting committee is tasked with submitting the names of 3 qualified candidates to the minister by the end of March 2025 for subsequent approval of the national assembly in summary while the establishment of the commission has experienced delays these were necessitated by the ministry’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that the measure adopted to combat corruption are both effective and sustainable in long term,” he said.