Breaking News
Errant Justice Wowo Replaced
-Defense Lawyers allege ‘Wowo is prejudice’
By Ebrima G. Sankareh, Editor-In-Chief
Justice Joseph Wowo and Yahya Jammeh, fraternal twins of evil
Unimpeachable sources reaching The Gambia Echo say Justice Joseph Wowo, the errant judge presiding over the case of Gambia’s seven journalists, has been removed. This according to our unassailable sources follows a terse petition by the defence team to the Chief Justice that Justice Wowo was acting prejudicial and should be recused from the case. During today’s in-camera proceedings, the lawyers representing the six Gambian journalists withdrew pending the outcome of an application at the Court of Appeal for the presiding judge to recuse himself from the case.
However, when Justice Wowo insisted that the allegations against him were meritless and that the case must proceed, lead defense attorney and Dean of the Gambian Bar, Antouman Gaye, together with colleagues Lamin S. Camara, Neneh Cham-Chongan and Huja Gaye, walked out of justice Wowo’s chambers where the kangaroo trial that continues to raise eyebrows among civilized nations, was being held in camera.
During this morning’s raucous proceedings, Director of Public Prosecution- Mr. Richard R. Chenge told the Court that his witnesses should continue their testimony in Chambers in Justice Wowo’s office. At this point, lead defence counsel, Antouman Gaye stood up and told the presiding judge that they have filed a motion at the Court’s Registrar for him Wowo, to recuse himself from the case and to stay execution pending the hearing of the motion at the Court of Appeal. This is the third time similar applications were filed by the defence. At this point, a visibly shaken and temperamental Justice Wowo instructed that the “Court rise,” and then marched to his ill-fated Chambers, probably the most lethal metaphor of injustice. While everybody was standing, the cantankerous Justice Wowo was already in his Chambers poised to render acts of injustice. Lawyer Antouman Gaye then advised his clients to stay in Court while he and his colleagues investigated what happened, only to discover that Justice Wowo was waiting for them in Chambers for the state witnesses to continue their usually doctored testimonies, a pattern that has become all to familiar ever since Yahya Jammeh became leader of the mini-West African state in 1994. Counsel Neneh Cham- Chongan was seen calling the seven accused journalists to follow her to the Chambers.
At Chambers, the lawyers could not compromise with Wowo. About 15 minutes later the lawyers marched out, leaving the accused persons in Chambers to hear the testimony of a state witness. The sixth accused person, Sam Sarr who represented himself, cross-examined the state witness. At the end of the cross-examination, Wowo told the journalists to return to Court tomorrow-Friday with or without representation.
Defense counsel, Lamin Camara said they are withdrawing their representation before Justice Wowo because they have no confidence on the presiding judge. He said, unless Justice Wowo complies with their demands, they will not continue with the matter.
Antouman Gaye for his part said, “I know I am not going back to his Court because the man is prejudice.” He said all the defence counsels have withdrawn, and further disclosed that the Appeal Court will hear their application on the July 28, 2009. “I told him that he should stay himself out of the case because from what I have seen on his face he is not ready to do justice to the matter,” Gaye remarked.
Meanwhile, latest reports have it that the Chief Justice has ordered Justice Emanuel Fangbele to replace Justice Wowo, and instead of Friday, the matter is set to resume on Monday 27 July, 2009.
The seven GPU members are facing six count charges of “sedition” and “criminal defamation”, following the publication of a press release issued by the union responding to Gambian leader- Yahya Jammeh’s remarks on the unresolved killing of veteran journalist- Deyda Hydara who was shot to death on December 2004.
They were arrested when the story was published in both the Foroyaa and the Point newspapers respectively, detained at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) headquarters up to Thursday 18 June when they were dragged to the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court after working hours, charged with three counts of “seditious publication.” They were subsequently remanded in custody at the Mile II Central Prisons by magistrate Sainabou Wadda-Ceesay.