Senior prosecutor on the NIA 9 case representing the Gambia government, Lawyer Sheriff Tambedou’s announcement of his resignation from the case with immediate effect is the moral and ethical thing to do. Mr. Tambedou former president of the Gambia Bar Association during the Presidential election impasse in December was caught in a scandal where he met with the wife of the former Director of the NIA Yankuba Badgie. Mrs. Badjie allegedly had an agenda meeting with Sheriff Tambedou and illegally recorded her conversations with him in an effort to reveal sensitive information surrounding her husband’s case. She also allegedly intended to expose the prosecuting office which seeks to prosecute her husband and the NIA 9 for their alleged killing of Solo Sandeng.
Mrs Badjie reportedly released the tapes consisting of over half an hour of conversation where she attempted to entice the senior lawyer with praises and occasional threats of her family doing something about the case and against anyone who conspired to jail her husband. Mr. Tambedou entertained a visit from Ndura Badjie who did not only record him without his consent but also visited him possibly at his office to continue the illegal recording. She immediately released the tapes to social media which went viral.
Gambians across the world immediately reacted to the recordings condemning the conduct of the senior lawyer and some calling for him to recuse himself from the prosecuting team. Mr. Tambedou is the senior brother of the current attorney general and minister of justice Ba Tambedou. The case of the NIA 9 has been a very controversial case and this is the second time the Tambedou brothers have been tangled on this case. In or around March 2017, the attorney General convened a press conference accusing his counterparts at the ministry of Interior of going ahead with arrest and detention of the NIA 9 without informing his office. The young minister received some backlash on that press conference with some calling him out for what appeared to be a bad communication judgement by the minister.
Senior Tambedou without a doubt is a seasoned legal mind and he has been around for quite a while. His alleged meeting with the wife of an accused person without the present of their attorney raised questions and attracted wide spread condemnation. At the very least, the lawyer could have known that there was something unethical about his meeting with the wife of an accused said a commentator on gainako radio. While some dispute the authenticity of the recordings, Mr. Tambedou himself came out and accepted that in fact he has met with Ndura Badjie who had “ill intentions to frame” the Sr. lawyer. Mr. Tambedou added that the meeting was however sanctioned and authorized by the prosecuting team.
The idea of the prosecuting team authorizing Sheriff to meet with an accused person’s family without their legal representative raises more questions than provide answers. From a layman’s point of view, one wonders why the prosecuting team will give out this authority. Even more troubling was not necessarily the meeting but the absent of a legal representation on the defense and Mr. Tambedou’s ease in discussing details of the case with the wife. At the very least it was unethical and unprofessional for Sheriff Tambedou to engage in such an act. Mr. Tambedou has now resigned from the team.
The case is a national embarrassment not only to the prosecuting team but to the Attorney General and the Barrow government at large. Whether Sheriff’s junior brother the attorney general is aware of this meeting or not is yet to be determined. Some critics are trying to link the two brothers to the case in which there is no evidence. However, if in fact there is evidence that the Justice minister is aware of the meeting then his involvement also raises more ethical questions. Whatever the case may be, Sheriff should be commended for doing the right thing by setting the standard of resigning from such allegations of misconduct. The conduct of Ndura Badjie on her attempt to black mail a prosecutor or tamper with evidence should be carefully looked into to see if there are any illegal conduct.
Public officials must understand that the new government is operating in a new era of social media, media freedom and citizen activism. They must also be aware that former elements of the Jammeh dictatorship who are still serving in prominent positions within the Barrow government will not be silenced or implicated in misconducts without tampering with evidence. Even President Barrow is subject to black mail and possible embarrassment by elements of the former regime. It is therefore prudent that this government and any public officials conduct themselves in a manner that is transparent and free of any backroom deals. Without putting in those safeguards this government will be handicapped by public scandals throughout their tenure. The new Gambia cannot and should not be taken for granted even by the highest office in the land.
Story filed by Demba Baldeh