BANJUL, 4 November 2026 – The Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Justice has firmly rejected claims by the opposition group UNITE that the Local Government Commission of Inquiry Report was altered after being submitted to the Government.
In a press release issued on 4 November in response to UNITE’s press conference the previous day, the Ministry described the allegations as “entirely false and deliberately calculated to bring disrepute to the Government” regarding its White Paper on the Commission’s recommendations. The statement said the claims were intended to distort the public’s understanding of both the Commission’s findings and the Government’s response.
The Ministry stated categorically that the Government “did not in any way interfere with, amend, edit or alter anything in the report.” It reiterated that the document has been published exactly as it was submitted by the Commission, without any changes, corrections or revisions by the Government. “The allegation is therefore false and misleading,” the release said.
UNITE had also alleged that the report had not been gazetted, contrary to the practice followed with previous commission reports. The Ministry countered that both the Gambia Government White Paper on the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Conduct of all Local Government Councils and for Connected Matters, 2026, and the Local Government Commission of Inquiry Report 2026 itself were gazetted on 29 October 2026 by the Gambia Printing and Publishing Corporation in Gazette Notice No. 211/2026. As a result, printed copies became available to the public from 30 October 2026.
The Ministry further explained that electronic versions of the reports were subsequently uploaded to the websites of the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, and the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs. This step, it said, was taken “with a view to facilitate wider public access.”
The release concluded by reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to transparency, adherence to due process, and the rule of law. The statement, issued under the letterhead of the Attorney General’s Chambers, Ministry of Justice, Republic of The Gambia, and dated 4th November 2026, ends with the word “End.”
The Local Government Commission of Inquiry was established to examine the conduct of all local government councils and related matters. Its report and the subsequent Government White Paper have become the focus of political contention following UNITE’s public accusations. The Ministry’s detailed rebuttal seeks to clarify the official record on both the integrity of the document and its formal publication process.
