Gainako has confirmed that former Finance Minister Mr. Mamburay Njie has indeed left Gambia for neighboring Senegal. Mr. Njie was one time Jammeh’s closest confidant and has served his government in several capacities. The former minister was prosecuted for abuse of office and negligence after falling apart with the Jammeh regime. After several months of repeated arrest, detention and alleged torture without charges, he was finally brought to the high court in Banjul and charge with two counts of economic crime and negligence of office by “failing to advise the Government in the mining activities of Carnergie Minerals Gambia Limited.” He was at the time the Secretary General and head of civil service. He was granted a D15 million Dalasis, released and was shortly rearrested and detained for a prolonged time.
After several months of prosecution before the high court in Banjul Mr. Njie was finally acquitted and released by the high court without conditions. He was shortly rearrested again and this time remanded without any charges. His case attracted wide spread condemnation and manifested true travesty of justice. Those familiar with his case said his was more of knowing too much and advising the Gambian President against a dealing directly with a private company Carnergie Minerals Gambia Ltd which the president has a personal interest in. Like many other victims of his aids President Jammeh did not like the honesty and openness of Mr. Njie and therefore viewed him as an obstructionist to his personal business ambitions. The mining company later got tangled into a legal tussle with the Gambia government.
Despite his acquittal by the high court Mr. Njie remained in detention for months and was battling aiding health. He was among those pardoned when President Jammeh from nowhere granted a pardon to several prisoners including criminally convicted hard core drug barons and alleged rapists. Many other Jammeh aids who were convicted of corruption and abuse of office were pardon.
According to our source who is a close confidant of the former Minister, Mr. Njie left Banjul “within 72 hours of being pardoned to neighboring senegal”. The source added that Mr. Njie knowing Jammeh and his ego very well, he was going to arraign pardon prisoners to march in solidarity to thank him for his ‘generosity’ just to massage his ego. Mamburay did not want to have anything to do with that especially after suffering so much in the hands of the Gambia government. He therefore arranged for an escape route to avoid any more arrest.
Mr. Njie case epitomizes what is fundamentally wrong with the Gambia government. His case was a direct interference by the executive in ensuring that he would not be freed. Legal experts opined that for the high court to release a citizen accused of crime and only to be arrested again and detained indefinitely is the height of injustice and government interference with the judiciary. In fact many alleged that the premature firing of the Pakistani Chief Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan had everything to do with Mamburay’s case. Mr. Njie like many others have suffered enough and if justice were to be rendered he was due for compensation for all the illegal detention and torture that he has suffered. It is hope that some day the small West African nation will come to its conscience and not only apologize for the government’s wrong but compensate victims as appropriate. For now Mr. Njie is safe in Senegal and is recuperating from years of maltreatment.