According to our sources, the commission found the conduct and behaviour of the Magistrate to be incompatible with the functions and status of that important office and thus gave him the marching order.

This latest move by the commission follows the recent sacking of Principal Magistrate Buba Jawo of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court.

Ordered to return government Properties

Principal Magistrate Buba Jawo of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court was on Monday 29thSeptember 2008 sacked from his post.

His termination came to light just hours after presiding over some cases including the case of Abdoul Hamid Adiomoh, proprietor and Managing Director of Today Newspaper, who is standing trial on a charge of seditious intention.

According to judicial sources, the sack letter from the Judicial Service Commission indicated that Mr. Jawo should immediately hand over all government properties in his possession. But it did not state why Mr Jawo was sacked.

It could be recalled that the sacked Magistrate Jawo was the one who sentenced journalists Lamin Fatty and Fatou Jaw Manneh to fines of D50,000 and D250,000 respectively.

Readers could also recall that Jawo would not compromise with defence counsel Lamin Jobarteh for his client to be given time to settle the said amount of D250,000.

In turning down Mr Jobarteh’s request, Mr Jawo famously remarked, “ I’m finished with this case.”

Justice Naceesay Sallah-Wadda was the one presiding on the Carnegie Mineral case amongst other cases.

It will be recalled that since July three Judges had been fired.

Abdou FM Badjie,  the governor of Western Region, is reported to have been fired last week Thursday, unimpeachable sources told the Daily Observer.

The reason for Mr Badjie’s sacking remains unknown. Furthermore, sources disclosed that his sacking was rumoured several weeks before the great axe fell on him on Thursday.

Our sources further revealed that Mrs Sainabou Faal, the assistant governor of Western Region, has been appointed as the acting governor of the country’s largest region, with eight districts.

Efforts to contact Mr Badjie proved futile, as he was unreachable on his cellphone. But his immediate successor, acting Governor Faal, confirmed the changes at the top echelon of the regional administration. Mrs Faal was appointed assistant governor of that region in 2004.

Morro Jawla, the chief of Sami District in the Central River Region was fired yesterday afternoon, sources disclosed to the Daily Observer.

According to reports, Chief Morro Jawla received his termination letter yesterday afternoon. Sources added that Alhagie Hassum Leigh widely known as ‘Kibboh Leigh’, a native of Sami Pachonki who is the former chairman of the Sami Council of elders is appointed the new chief.

However, efforts to reach the newly appointed chief proved furtile.

In another development, Samboujang Jagne, Chief of Upper Baddibou and Kabirou Kanteh, chief of Central Baddibou were also reported to have been replaced.

Brikama magistrates’ court in Western Region will later tomorrow continue trial proceedings in the case of a British national, this paper has learnt reliably.

Francisco Bart Venlie is on Thursday expected to appear before magistrate John Njie at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court where his trial for allegedly firing a single-barrel gun in the air is at an advanced stage. The shooting incident allegedly happened in the desolate hamlet of Kendisebel, few kilometres of Tujereng in Kombo South.

Meanwhile testifying in the case earlier this month, Francisco recollected that it was one fine morning when he saw a group of people embarking on a truck and then decided that he should record the registration number of the vehicle. He adds that as he was writing the number, a group of people disembarked from the truck, yelled at him and ordered him to stop what he was doing. With the intervention of one of my witnesses, recalled Francisco, the unknown was averted.

Still testifying, Francisco claimed that he had, a day after the truck palaver, decided to visit a plot of land which was entrusted in his care.  According to him, when he arrived at the place, he saw a number of people with some armed with cutlasses and were approaching them from a radius of 50m. It was then that I fired a shot in air and the crowd dispersed, he added. Thereafter, said Francisco, one Sambujang Fatty came from nowhere to take his bag whilst the gun was taken by one Alagi who held him at gunpoint. This was followed by a surge of crowd pushing me, but in the process, I managed to take out my pistol but I neither fired a shot nor point the pistol at anyone, he posited.

The case resumes tomorrow.

His Excellency the President of the Republic of The Gambia, Dr Alhagie Yahya Jammeh acting under the provisions of section 71 (4) (b) of the constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, has decided to relieve Mr Kanja Sanneh of his cabinet appointment.

A news release from the Office of the President states that President Jammeh has also in exercise of the powers conferred upon him under section 71 (1) and 71 (3) of the constitution of the Republic of The Gambia decided to take over the Department of State for Agriculture with immediate effect.  It could be recalled that Mr Sanneh was appointed in 2006.

(GRTS)

As Dida Halake Takes Over

Barely two weeks to his reinstatement after having been fired Dr. Saja Taal, Managing Director of the Daily Observer Company, was once again given his marching orders yesterday afternoon, The Point has gathered. The apparently distraught Dr. Taal, who hung up the phone on our reporter when he tried to confirm the story, told the reporter to contact the Daily Observer as he switched off his phone.

Meanwhile our sources have it that Mr. Dida Abdi Jallow- Halake, previously named for the position on Dr. Taal’s initial removal, has been appointed to step into the shoes of Mr. Taal.

In his reaction to the appointment Mr. Halake, who flew into the country few days ago from the United Kingdom, said the Daily Observer is an important news institution in The Gambia. “The motherland of my three children, and I am most humbled and honoured to have been chosen to head it. I hope that my young staff at the Daily Observer will rejuvenate the tradition on this paper and re-establish its pre-eminent position. It goes without saying the Daily Observer admires and supports the work of President Jammeh and the APRC but our motto is “Forward with The Gambia.

“Like the elected president of the country, the Daily Observer is here for all Gambians and we wish to work co-operatively with all media houses since we share the same profession. I have had a Gambian wife and three children, and I have been coming to The Gambia since 1992 and I have had a compound in Kotu for the last 12 years,” he revealed.

Mr Halake also seized the opportunity to proffer more facts about himself, saying: “I am a 51-year-old Kenya of Ethiopian origin, and I am by profession a teacher and have taught in Scotland and England where I qualified since 1986. My commitment to education resulted into excellent large library at Kotu Senior Secondary School which my group from UK built.”

On his plans for the future, he said that he hoped to continue contributing to the excellent development of “this wonderful and peaceful country, Inshallah.”

Meanwhile in his first decision as MD Mr. Halake has appointed Ebrima Jaw Manneh, a young journalist serving as an editor as deputy Editor-in-Chief. Mr. Jaw Manneh has been at the Observer for many years during which he rose through the ranks. It could be recalled that Dr. Taal was first booted out on 16th of October only to be reinstated on 18th of the same month.        

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Brikama Area Council, Bala Musa Cham has been fired, effective October 16th 2007, the Daily Observer can reveal.

According to Sereign Modou Joof, Public Relations Officer of Brikama Area Council, Mr Cham was served with his termination letter on Tuesday, October, 16th 2007.

However, the reason encompassing Mr Cham’s removal is yet to be disclosed to the public.

According to Mr Joof, Momodou Jallow, the former Chief Executive Officer of Janjangbureh Area Council, has been appointed as BAC’s new CEO.