By Mariama Marong
Justice Sidi Jobarteh on Monday, 15 July 2025, issued a strong warning to the Executive Director of the National Agency for Legal Aid (NALA), directing the agency to ensure that accused persons are properly and consistently represented in court.
The judge gave the order after the accused persons facing criminal charges appeared in court, but their case could not proceed due to the absence of their counsel, Tamsir Jallow, a lawyer from NALA.
Although prosecuting counsels H. Drammeh and M. Jammeh were present with their witnesses, the hearing had to be adjourned.
State Counsel H. Drammeh pleaded with the court for a short adjournment, explaining that one of their witnesses had travelled from a distant location and a prolonged adjournment would make it difficult to secure the witness again.
Justice Jobarteh expressed concern over the loss of court time and reminded lawyers to always uphold their code of ethics.
She declared that wasting court time is unacceptable and such actions should not be condoned.
The judge stressed the importance of proper and timely legal representation for accused persons and emphasised that NALA must ensure that its lawyers are present to defend the rights of those they represent.
The case was adjourned to 15 July 2025.
