Before the end of the week, Auditor General Modou Ceesay’s attorney, Lamin J. Darboe, is expected to file a complaint against President Adama Barrow’s decision, dragging his removal from office all the way to the Supreme Court.
The lawsuit comes after Kanifing Police Station officers visited the National Audit Office on Monday and told Ceesay not to report to work until further notice. They also confiscated his official car and office key.
President Barrow’s decision to fire Ceesay from his job as Auditor General and allegedly offer him a cabinet position, which Ceesay turned down, is the root of the conflict.
Lawyer Darboe informed media that this was an urgent matter. “We know we cannot get an injunction according to the said proceeding act, but that is neither here nor there. If we win the case, he will not only be reinstated, but he will also be paid everything he lost as a result of the unlawful dismissal.”
Darboe emphasized that the case is about defending the nation’s democratic values and the autonomy of national institutions, not only about getting Ceesay removed.
He cautioned that the cops could also experience this. “Aside from the regrettable fact that they believe they are working for the president, they also require protection to prevent the inspector general from being dismissed in this way.”
Darboe described the president’s decision as “a setback for Gambian democracy” and stated that it should not be interpreted as a protest against the administration or the president. “I look at the best interest of the country,” he continued.
Darboe came to the conclusion that the rule of law is weakened when constitutionally protected positions are undermined for political reasons. “It is not in the best interest of the country that a protected position is being vandalized by the executive arm of government,” he stated.
