By Sheriff Conteh, Editor
UK-based Gambian lawyer Melville Roberts has issued a strongly worded response to Foni Kansala lawmaker, Hon. Almameh Gibba, describing the ongoing resignation calls on Police Prosecutor and Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Almami James Manga, not as a matter of personal loyalty, but as a test of responsible use of power and institutional integrity.
“This debate is not about personal loyalty or political rivalry, but about institutional integrity and the responsible use of power. When questions of influence and credibility arise, they must be confronted honestly, even when that honesty is uncomfortable,” Roberts stressed, adding that Gibba’s comments are deeply troubling.
Hon. Almameh Gibba had on Friday warned that any move by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Almameh James Manga, to resign, would be strongly opposed by him and the people of Foni Kansala Constituency, after public pressure for Manga to resign intensified.
Manga, a former anti-corruption officer of the United Nations (UN), now serving as a police prosecutor, faced allegations of D65,000 bribery and corruption in connection with a land dispute in Salagi.
The incident was brought to the public attention by a US-based Gambian physician, Muhammed Teks Tekanyi, who alleged Manga of collecting the said amount of money from one land dealer, Sheikh Tijan Khan, after the dispute was reported to police.
According to Melville Roberts’ Facebook statement on Thursday, he had convinced Manga to resign from the newly-established Gambian anti-corruption body (ACC), and Manga had accepted to do so, following his (Manga’s) denial of the bribery and corruption allegations by Mr. Tekanyi which was accompanied by a Wave transaction screenshots between Manga and Sheikh Tijan Khan.
Roberts reminded the Foni Kansala lawmaker Gibba that while friendships exist, power must be persuaded through reason and evidence, not through intimidation.
“In a democracy governed by the rule of law, power must persuade through reason and evidence, not through intimidation or implied coercion. When influence crosses that line, public confidence begins to erode.
”Let me be clear. Manga is my friend. Not in a casual or opportunistic sense, but in a deeply personal and longstanding way. I may even be closer to him than many who now rush to speak in his defence. My loyalty to him is not in question. I stand with Manga to death. But loyalty does not require dishonesty, and friendship does not demand silence in the face of uncomfortable truths.”
Since the allegations surfaced in public space, the Gambia Police Force are yet to issue a public statement or make a comment on the issue.
The civil society actors and activists have called for an independent investigation into Manga’s conduct.
