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‘AUDITOR GENERAL CEESAY TO SUE GOV’T OVER REMOVAL’

  • September 16, 2025
  • 3 min read
‘AUDITOR GENERAL CEESAY TO SUE GOV’T OVER REMOVAL’

Lawyer Lamin J Darbo, the legal representative of embattled Auditor General Modou Ceesay, yesterday informed journalists that he will be filing a case before the Supreme Court to challenge his client’s ‘illegal and forceful’ removal from office.
Yesterday, police physically removed Auditor General, Modou Ceesay, from his office after he refused to give up the post, in a government reshuffle carried out by President Adama Barrow.
Ceesay, who has spent almost three years as Auditor General, says he had turned down Barrow’s recent offer to become trade minister.
Speaking to journalists shortly after being forced out of his office, AG Ceesay said: “We have consulted with our counsel and we have decided to put the matter to him to proceed with the necessary process.”
Confronted by journalists on this development, Lawyer J Darbo confirmed that indeed the Auditor General has forwarded the matter to his chambers but he would not be able to go into the nitty-gritty of the matter because it is about to go to court.
“So we will deal with the issues and file the processes that are necessary to move this matter forward so that the Supreme Court can have a take on whether the president has the authority to forcefully remove the Auditor General from his position. We believe that cannot happen and that is the case we will be putting to the Supreme Court so that the government can come and answer to our case in court,” he said.
He added: “As of now, all we can tell you is that the matter is moving forward and we will try to file a case no later than end of this week because it is an urgent matter and we know we cannot request for an injunction according to the States Proceedings Act but that is neither here nor there because if we win the case, he will not only be reinstated but he will he paid everything he lost because of his unlawful dismissal because this is really a dismissal.”
He described the government’s actions as an assault on the constitutional processes of this country.
“It is not just an assault on him but an assault on all the independent agencies that are operating in this country including the police except if they believe they are working for the president which is unfortunate because they too need protection so that the Inspector General cannot be removed. We believe there is precedence in this matter in favour of the Auditor General. That is what we believe.”
Lawyer J Darbo added that the Auditor General’s team will push for an expedited hearing.
“This is a setback for Gambian democracy and we need to stop this kind of thing. It doesn’t mean you are opposing the president or the system. I don’t look at those things, I look at what is in the best interest of the country and this is not in the best interest of the country. That a protected position has been vandalised by the government,” the lawyer said.

Source: The Standard

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Cherno Omar Bobb

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