By Nelson Manneh
The pretrial proceedings in the case of Momodou Lamin Jarju, known as Rongo, against the Alkalo of Banjulunding and other defendants resumed on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, before Justice Sara Ayew of the Banjul High Court. The hearing focused on the submission of affidavit statements by the defense attorney.
When the case was called, Lawyer K. Sanyang appeared on behalf of the defendants, all of whom were absent. Representing the plaintiff, Lawyer Borry Touray was present alongside his client, Rongo.
Mr. Touray reminded the court that the lawsuit was originally filed in 2018 and that he had submitted all required documents, including the writ of summons, statement of claim, and affidavits from witnesses. He further noted that the court had previously identified 70 relevant documents from the 100 initially submitted by Rongo in support of his claims.
During the proceedings, Mr. Touray informed the court that his client had submitted an additional affidavit, which had been served to both the court and the defense attorneys. In response, Mr. Sanyang, representing the first eight defendants, presented and identified key documents upon which the defense intends to rely. These included an investigative report, a legal opinion from the Attorney General’s Chambers, a letter from the Director of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and a judgment from the Brikama Magistrates’ Court, among others.
After marking the submitted documents, the court adjourned the case to June 23, 2025, at 11 a.m. for the continuation of pretrial proceedings.
Rongo originally filed suit in 2018 against multiple defendants, including Momodou Lungs Jarju, the Alkalo of Banjulinding, Imam Yahya Bah, Malang Njie, Modou Badjie, Landing Korteh, Lamin Nafulou Jarju, Jarbel Ceesay, and Foday Barry, a former senior officer of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency. He also named the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEAG) as defendants.
The plaintiff is seeking 10 million dalasis ($200,000) in damages for what he claims was an unlawful arrest and detention by the defendants and their agents. He is also demanding an additional 10 million dalasis for what he describes as a malicious prosecution, arguing that the defendants knew or should have known that the charges against him were unfounded. In a third claim, he is requesting another 10 million dalasis in damages for loss of earnings resulting from his alleged wrongful arrest, detention, and prosecution. Additionally, he seeks 200,000 dalasis to cover legal costs.
