Daily News Editor Is For Court Today

    Mr. Lamin Njie, Deputy Editor The Daily News

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An editor of the privately-owned newspaper, The Daily News, Mr. Lamin Njie, is due to appear at the High Court today after a judge ordered for his arrested on June 19, 2012.

High Court Judge, Emmanuel Nkea, who is presiding over the trial of Bakary Sanyang, ex-Commissioner General Gambia Revenue Authority, claimed Mr. Njie reported “falsely” on the trial. He ordered that Mr. be brought to court to explain why he should not be “charged with contempt of court.”

The Voice Newspaper understands Mr. Njie is being detained at the remand wing of the State Central Prison, Mile II since Friday June 22 and is expected to appear in court on Monday. 

He was put on remand after he reported at the Police Headquarters in Banjul following an order for him to do so.

In an article authored by Lamin Njie, The Daily News reported that "High Court Turns Down Bail Request for GRA 4" during a June 15 sitting. 

However, it appeared that the accused person, who is being tried for economic crime and related offences was neither rejected nor granted bail in that particular court session. The case was adjourned for ruling on June 19.

Nonetheless, in what seems to be an “Irony of Situation”, Justice Nkea did just what Mr. Njie wrote earlier. He turns down the bail request for the former GRA Commissioner General.  

Justice Nkea, presiding over the trial at the Special Criminal Division of the High Court in in the capital Banjul, had referred to Mr. Njie as Lamin Touray of The Daily News.

Before issuing an arrest warrant for the journalist, he asked “Who among you (journalists) is the reporter of The Daily News.” “Is not here,” the journalists who were present replied in chorus.  

“What is the name of the reporter,” Nkea asked one more time. “I think is Lamin Touray,” an interpreter at the court replied. 

That Lamin Touray issued false information on the proceedings of my court, said the Cameroonian judge, who added: “I shall order for the arrest of Lamin Touray of The Daily News to be brought to the court and explain why he should not be charge with contempt of court.”

Adiamoh in Court Thursday

Similarly, Mr. Abdulhamid Adiamoh, the Managing Editor of Today, a privately-owned newspaper, is also expected to appear in court on Thursday June 28 over an “analytical article” he wrote.

The article titled “Counsel sidesteps issues in cross examination of UTG V.C. Professor Kah” is critical of the pathway taken by defence counsel Badou S. Conteh during his cross-examination of the Vice Chancellor of the University of The Gambia (UTG), Dr. Muhammad Kah. 

But the counsel argued in Court that the editor “Misconceived my cross examination and his report is out of context regarding my cross examination of the witness.” 

Mr. Conteh, who is representing Dr. Ali Gumbo Touray, former UTG Director of International Affairs being tried on “giving false information”, applied for the Banjul Magistrates’ Court to issue an arrest mandate for Mr. Adiamoh on June 20.

 The counsel believes Mr. Adiamoh makes “anomalous reporting” on his client’s case in the article published on the Today Newspaper’s front page Tuesday edition of June 19. 

Mr. Adiamoh was arrested on Wednesday, and he is being held by the police at their headquarters in Banjul. His detention followed Tuesday’s court order that he be arrested and brought to court on June 28 to explain why he should not be “charged with contempt of court.”