The Environment Minister, Rohey John Manyang, has filed a civil lawsuit amounting to fifty million dalasis (D50 million) against Kebba Ansu Manneh, a journalist for The Alkamba Times. The civil lawsuit is scheduled for a hearing at the High Court in Banjul on November 12, 2024.
This development follows the June 19, 2024, publication in The Alkamba Times Newspaper, which reported that the ‘Environment Minister, Former LRR Governor Accused of Involvement in Illegal Transaction of Seized Logs.’
Both Alkamba Times Newspaper and Journalist Kebba Ansu Manneh stood by their publication even after many threats that legal action would be taken against the Journalist if he failed to apologize and retract the publication.
However, the matter has now taken a new dimension when Journalist Kebba Ansu Manneh received a Writ of Sermon from Modou Drammeh and Associates to appear before the High Court on November 12, 2024, to answer charges labeled against him.
The Plaintiff, Rohey John Manyang, claims damages for libel and seeks the court to direct the Defendant, Kebba Ansu Manneh, to issue a written apology to the Plaintiff.
Plaintiff also seeks the court to direct Defendant to issue an unreserved apology that will be published on The Alkamba Times website, any other public platform used to defame Plaintiff, and a widely circulated print newspaper.
Plaintiff continues to seek an order from the court granting a perpetual Injunction restraining Defendant, either directly or through his agents, associates, contacts, etc., from making any further defamatory statement against Plaintiff, whether online or in any form or manner whatsoever.
Minister Rohey John Manyang further seeks an order from the court for Defendant to remove all statements pertaining to Plaintiff’s defamation from all his social media platforms (website, Facebook, etc.).
She continues to seek the court’s indulgence in ordering the Defendant to pay the Plaintiff damages of D50, 000, 000.00 (fifty million dalasis), being special damages excluding administrative costs of D500, 000 (five hundred thousand dalasis), with interest at the rate of 15% per annum until judgment.
Reacting to the news, The Alkamba Times Editor and Founder, Sainey Marenah, said the paper has notified the Gambia Gambia Press Union about the development.
“As a news organization committed to journalistic integrity, we take such matters seriously and are currently reviewing the details of the lawsuit. Our priority is to ensure that our reporting adheres to the highest standards of accuracy and fairness. We are consulting with our legal team to address the situation appropriately. Alkamba Times stands by the right to report on matters of public interest. We will continue to support our reporters in their professional duties,” Marenah said.
