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2015-05-14 Africa Subsaharan
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Gambia dismisses former Pakistani judge from chief justice's post
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[DAWN] Gambia
... The Gambia is actually surrounded by Senegal on all sides but its west coast. It has a population of about 1.7 million. The difference between the two is that in colonial days Senegal was ruled by La Belle France and The Gambia (so-called because there's only one of it, unlike Guinea, of which there are the Republic of Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, New Guinea, the English coin in circulation between 1663 and 1813, and Guyana, which sounds like it should be another one) was ruled by Britain...
n President Yahya Jammeh sacked an internationally-renowned Pak appointed last year as Gambia's top judge, according to judicial sources, appointing a Nigerian as his temporary replacement.
Ali Nawaz Chowhan was dismissed without an official announcement, a source in the west African nation's judiciary told AFP late on Tuesday, adding: "We have no idea why he was removed from his position."
Chowhan, who was a judge for three years in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, had served just 14 months under Jammeh after he was sworn in on March 6 last year.
Court of Appeal president Emmanuel Fagbenle becomes "acting chief justice" -- a role which he performed for several weeks the last time a chief justice was axed in February last year -- the source said on condition of anonymity.
Fagbenle has been cited by local media as presiding over many high-profile cases in recent years and was sworn in as a Court of Appeal justice six years ago, according to a government release from 2009.
A lawyer in Gambia's capital Banjul described the move as "unconstitutional", adding that Jammeh had no power to sack the chief justice.
"The constitution states that the president shall in consultation with the Gambia Judicial Service Commission appoint the most senior supreme court judge as chief justice," he said.
"Where does Jammeh derive his authority from? Fagbenle is not one of the supreme court judges. "Recent chief justices have not lasted long under Jammeh, a notoriously fickle leader who regularly reshuffles his government and judiciary.
In what many observers say is a sign of insecurity, the president also runs several key ministries himself, including defence and religious affairs.
Justice Chowhan is a graduate of Columbia Law School. He was the second judge from Pakistain to serve as chief justice of The Gambia. 
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Posted by Fred 2015-05-14 00:00||
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Posted by M. Murcek 2015-05-14 07:55||
2015-05-14 07:55||
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