Back and Next - Back and Next2 new judges sworn-in
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Her Excellency Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, vice president and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, yesterday presided over the swearing-in of two new judges - Justice Aderemi Raymond Desmond Renner Thomas from Sierra Leone and Justice Professor Samuel Kofi Date-Bah from Ghana - to the Supreme Court of The Gambia.
The swearing-in ceremony, bringing the total number of judges at the Supreme Court to seven, was held at State House, Banjul. Justices Aderemi Raymond Desmond Renner Thomas and Samuel Kofi Date-Bah took the oaths of allegiance, office and secrecy, before being showered with words of felicitation, advice, as well as assurances of collaborative efforts and support in the execution of their duties.
Vice President Njie-Saidy, on behalf of President Jammeh, congratulated the newly sworn-in judges and expressed optimism that they will deliver, as required by the laws of The Gambia.VP Njie-Saidy reminded the newcomers into the Supreme Court that The Gambia is a developing country, and that the government will do all it can to ensure that they live and work in a conducive environment. Vice President Njie-Saidy also thanked the governments of Sierra Leone and Ghana for allowing their judges to serve in The Gambia.
She hailed The Gambia’s judicial system, rating it as one of the best in Africa. For her part, Marie Saine-Firdaus, Attorney General and secretary of state for Justice, expressed delight that The Gambia government has been able to secure its own Supreme Court, a development she described as a big achievement, congratulating the newly sworn-in judges. The government of The Gambia, according to SoS Marie Saine-Firdaus, is a government that upholds the rule of law. Therefore, she added, having a Supreme Court to effectively dispense justice to the people is very significant in the socio-economic advancement of the country.
According to the Justice SoS, her department of state will need two more judges to be appointed to the Court of Appeal. She underscored the need to have a functional Court of Appeal to enable the Supreme Court to function very well. SoS Firdaus expressed hope that the judges will perform as expected and thanked Chief Justice Abdou Karim Savage for helping to make the ceremony possible.
Yankuba Touray, secretary of state for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, congratulated the newly sworn-in judges and assured them of the government’s support in the execution of their duties. SoS Touray noted that The Gambia’s judicial system has contributed quite a lot to the development of the country since 1994.
He said that the government of The Gambia will continue to collaborate with countries in the sub-region to enhance effective judicial system. For his part, the Chief Justice of The Gambia, Abdou Karim Savage, also expressed delight at the swearing-in of the two new Supreme Court judges.
He recalled that he had made a pledge, last year, to have the Supreme Court of The Gambia sitting once quarterly. The swearing-in ceremony, he pointed out, was meant to help fulfil that pledge. He expressed optimism that they will overcome all their challenges, and that they will be sitting regularly. Chief Justice Savage described The Gambia’s Supreme Court as one of the best in Africa, pointing to the fact that they have been able to secure competent judges.
He thanked the new judges and assured them of their support. Justice Aderemi Raymond Desmond Renner Thomas, one of the newly sworn-in Judges, thanked President Jammeh for giving them the opportunity to serve in The Gambia. He expressed gratitude to the Gambian leader for the confidence he has in them and assured the government that they will perform to the best of their abilities. The ceremony, chaired by Abdoulie Sallah, secretary to the Cabinet, was attended by secretaries of state and members of the Judiciary.
The swearing-in ceremony, bringing the total number of judges at the Supreme Court to seven, was held at State House, Banjul. Justices Aderemi Raymond Desmond Renner Thomas and Samuel Kofi Date-Bah took the oaths of allegiance, office and secrecy, before being showered with words of felicitation, advice, as well as assurances of collaborative efforts and support in the execution of their duties.
Vice President Njie-Saidy, on behalf of President Jammeh, congratulated the newly sworn-in judges and expressed optimism that they will deliver, as required by the laws of The Gambia.VP Njie-Saidy reminded the newcomers into the Supreme Court that The Gambia is a developing country, and that the government will do all it can to ensure that they live and work in a conducive environment. Vice President Njie-Saidy also thanked the governments of Sierra Leone and Ghana for allowing their judges to serve in The Gambia.
She hailed The Gambia’s judicial system, rating it as one of the best in Africa. For her part, Marie Saine-Firdaus, Attorney General and secretary of state for Justice, expressed delight that The Gambia government has been able to secure its own Supreme Court, a development she described as a big achievement, congratulating the newly sworn-in judges. The government of The Gambia, according to SoS Marie Saine-Firdaus, is a government that upholds the rule of law. Therefore, she added, having a Supreme Court to effectively dispense justice to the people is very significant in the socio-economic advancement of the country.
According to the Justice SoS, her department of state will need two more judges to be appointed to the Court of Appeal. She underscored the need to have a functional Court of Appeal to enable the Supreme Court to function very well. SoS Firdaus expressed hope that the judges will perform as expected and thanked Chief Justice Abdou Karim Savage for helping to make the ceremony possible.
Yankuba Touray, secretary of state for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, congratulated the newly sworn-in judges and assured them of the government’s support in the execution of their duties. SoS Touray noted that The Gambia’s judicial system has contributed quite a lot to the development of the country since 1994.
He said that the government of The Gambia will continue to collaborate with countries in the sub-region to enhance effective judicial system. For his part, the Chief Justice of The Gambia, Abdou Karim Savage, also expressed delight at the swearing-in of the two new Supreme Court judges.
He recalled that he had made a pledge, last year, to have the Supreme Court of The Gambia sitting once quarterly. The swearing-in ceremony, he pointed out, was meant to help fulfil that pledge. He expressed optimism that they will overcome all their challenges, and that they will be sitting regularly. Chief Justice Savage described The Gambia’s Supreme Court as one of the best in Africa, pointing to the fact that they have been able to secure competent judges.
He thanked the new judges and assured them of their support. Justice Aderemi Raymond Desmond Renner Thomas, one of the newly sworn-in Judges, thanked President Jammeh for giving them the opportunity to serve in The Gambia. He expressed gratitude to the Gambian leader for the confidence he has in them and assured the government that they will perform to the best of their abilities. The ceremony, chaired by Abdoulie Sallah, secretary to the Cabinet, was attended by secretaries of state and members of the Judiciary.
Author: by Assan Sallah
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