The 2009/2010 legal year was officially opened yesterday at the high court premises along independence drive in Banjul.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mrs. Marie -Saine Firdaus told the gathering that she would want to share with the public the developments that have taken place in the legal sector during the past legal year and particularly concerning the Attorney General's Chambers.
Madam Saine-Fridaus said her Chambers is here to offer service to the public and that one of its key functions is to advice government on legal matters and to be representing and prosecuting cases at all levels in the courts.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice said her office is working tirelessly to ensure that the justice system in the country is improved. She said the Gambia government made some commitments to revise the revise the laws of the Gambia, including the recent laws and regulations.
"As we speak now the laws of the Gambia are being revise, printed and hopefully, before the end of the year or latest at the beginning of 2010, the revised laws of the Gambia will be launched for accessibility to the general public" said the Justice Minister and Attorney General.
Mrs. Saine-Firdaus said she is happy to inform the gathering that cases are now being prosecuted and concluded in record time. She added that murder and rape cases that have been taking years to complete are now under the newly established Special Criminal Court concluded within three months.
She reported that in the last budget speech, the minister of finance said government has provided funding for the establishment of a Legal Aid Secretariat that to be assisting those members of the Gambian public who need and cannot afford legal representation.
According to her, every lawyer in the Attorney General's Chamber is overloaded with work.
The Attorney General said they need magistrates and lawyers and that this is why law is now introduced at the University of The Gambia.
"We have sleepless nights in making sure we get the judges and lawyers that we need to be able to ensure that justice delivery is done and in record time," she said.
For his part, the Chief Justice of The Gambia, Justice Emmanuel A Agim said they will commit themselves to ensuring that the judiciary is more opened and effective in serving the public. The Chief Justice also touched on the issue of backlog of cases but was quick to attribute delays as a global problem being experienced especially in the developing countries jurisdictions. Justice Agim however said the Gambia should try and come out of this situation.
"This is why in the magistrate courts, we have introduced cases to be heard on Saturdays and within the past four months over eight hundred cases were concluded" said the Chief Justice.
Delivering her address, the vice president of the Gambia, Madam Isatou Njie Saidy said the government would always want to see an efficient and effective judiciary and justice system. She said this is what prompted the government as part of its human resource support to increase the salaries of judges as a gesture to attract more Gambians to the bench. She prayed for a massive improvement in justice delivery in The Gambia in the new legal year.
The ceremony was attended members of the Gambian bench and bar, cabinet ministers, district chiefs, Speaker and National Assembly Members, heads of diplomatic missions, other state officials and guests, the media and a cross section of the general public.
Gambia Law
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