By Foday Manneh
Following the government’s announcement that it has cleared Almameh S. Manga of the adverse findings made against him by the Truth Reconciliation Repatriation Commission (TRRC), the Gambia Centre for Victims reacted with concern over the clearance.
A letter sent to Mr. Manga from the Ministry of Justice through the office of the Solicitor General states that the TRRC has made findings against Superintendent Manga, which accuse him of the unlawful detaining of an infant and her mother without a court or lawful order.
In its White Paper, the State recommended that further investigation be carried out to determine if Almameh Manga was responsible for the unlawful action.
However, following investigations by a panel set up by the Gambia Police Force, Mr. Almameh Manga was found not wanting and, therefore, cleared off the findings against him by the government.
Reacting to this, the Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations raised a serious concern over how the investigation was carried out, leading to Manga’s clearance.
“It is with serious dismay that the investigation was not carried out by an Independent Panel or Commission, instead a panel set up by the Gambia Police Force,” the center said.
“You need not be reminded that an investigation shall be independent, particularly of such an investigation of serious human rights violations and involvement of an infant,” the release added.
Additionally, the center asked for the circumstances and legal basis on which Almameh was freed.
“We wish to know under what circumstance was Almami S. Manga free from the adverse findings made against him by the TRRC, as per the report of the panel of the Gambia Police Force,”
“What is the legal basis for the cabinet to approve the findings of the panel set up by the Gambia Police Force when the cabinet already publicized its intention of implementing the TRRC recommendations on the government White Paper,” the victims center questioned.
