Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dawda A. Jallow on Monday paid tribute to retiring Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow, describing him as a mentor, colleague and friend whose leadership had strengthened the judiciary and whose writings should continue to guide generations of government lawyers.
Speaking at the farewell ceremony held at the Superior Courts Complex in Banjul on Monday, the Attorney General said the occasion was both historic and deeply personal, marking the retirement of the first Gambian Chief Justice to complete a full tenure and leave office upon reaching the constitutional retirement age.
"We gather this morning in this law court complex, the institutional home of our judiciary, to mark a moment that is at once historic and deeply personal."
He explained why he regarded the occasion as historic.
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"Historic because for the first time, a Gambian Chief Justice retires from his high office on reaching the constitutional age after a full tenure of service to the Republic."
He also described the event as deeply personal.
"Personal because for many of us here, including myself, we are saying farewell in this room to a colleague, a mentor and a friend."
The Attorney General reflected on his own working relationship with Chief Justice Jallow, which began when he assumed office in July 2020.
"I began my current journey with the Honourable Chief Justice in July 2020 when I took office as Attorney General and Minister of Justice."
"From that moment, for six solid years, the two of us carried a shared responsibility to manage the dedicated and vital relationship between the two great organs of state, the Executive and the Judiciary."
He said they worked together through both formal and informal engagements.
"We did so in Cabinet, in the corridors of this court and very often in the quiet space of conversation where misunderstandings are cleared and constitutional guardrails are enforced."
The Attorney General said both men also worked together on the General Legal Council, where Chief Justiceserved serve,d as Chairman and he served as Vice-Chairman.
"For those six years, we also served together on the General Legal Council, where he served as Chair and I as Vice-Chair."
"That body regulates the legal profession and safeguards the standards by which we admit, discipline and guide lawyers in this country."
He said serving alongside the Chief Justice gave him an opportunity to observe his commitment to professional standards.
"Working with him there, I saw at first hand his unwavering insistence that we must protect the integrity of the profession not as a favour to lawyers, but as a duty to the Gambian people who depend on us for justice."
Although acknowledging the many tributes that had already recounted Chief Justice Jallow's distinguished career, the Attorney General said he would not repeat those details.
"Many tributes in the past weeks have recalled his long and distinguished career, from State Attorney in the late 1970s, to Attorney General and Minister of Justice from 1984 to 1994, to Justice of the Supreme Court, to his international service in the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and then to his return as Chief Justice in 2017 in the early days of our democratic transition."
"I will not repeat that narrative in detail."
Instead, he said, he wanted to focus on two parts of the Chief Justice's legacy that had direct relevance to the justice sector.
"I want to dwell instead on two aspects of his legacy that speak directly to this institution and to those of us who work in law."
The first, he said, was Chief Justice Jallow's approach to judicial leadership.
"When he accepted the appointment as Chief Justice in 2017, our courts were emerging from difficult years."
"Public confidence had been shaken."
"The judiciary needed stability, professionalism and a renewed sense of independence."
The Attorney General said the Chief Justice did not seek attention but instead focused on rebuilding the institution.
"He did not arrive with fanfare."
"He arrived with quiet determination."
He said that under Chief Justice Jallow's stewardship, important reforms had been introduced.
"Under his leadership, the Supreme Court and the wider judiciary have taken concrete steps to strengthen institutional independence, to improve case management and reduce delays, and to invest in judicial training and continued education for judges and magistrates."
While acknowledging that challenges remained, he said significant progress had been made.
"The work is not complete."
"It never is."
"But it is fair, and I would say undeniable, that the judiciary he leaves behind is stronger, more confident and more anchored in constitutionalism than the one he inherited."
The Attorney General devoted much of his speech to Chief Justice Jallow's published works, describing them as part of his lasting contribution to the legal profession.
"The second aspect is his thought leadership on the office of the law officer."
"Over the years, he has not only served in that office, he has also reflected on it and written about it."
He listed several books authored by the retiring Chief Justice.
"His books The Law of Evidence, Journey for Justice, Prosecuting International Crimes, Law, Justice and Governance, and his most recent work on Accountability for International Crimes have already become part of the intellectual furniture of many of our lives."
The Attorney General added that several of those books were among his own reference materials.
"I can say with some pride that at least five of his books sit on my own shelves."
Turning to government lawyers attending the ceremony, the Attorney General urged them to study one chapter in particular.
"I want to speak directly to the law officers present today, particularly those from my chambers."
"If there is one text I will strongly recommend as mandatory reading for every State Counsel and every law officer, it is Chapter 10 of Law, Justice and Governance."
He identified the chapter by its title.
"The chapter he entitled The Office of the Law Officer."
The Attorney General then summarised some of the principles set out in the chapter.
"In that chapter, he reminds us that we are not simply civil servants, not merely legal practitioners."
"We are, as he put it, 'a different breed of legal practitioners and a different kind of civil servants."'
He said the Chief Justice traced the historical development of the office of the Attorney General and government legal service.
"He traces with characteristic care the evolution of the State Law Office, the Attorney General's Chambers, from the colonial days through independence to the creation of the modern Ministry of Justice."
The Attorney General said the chapter also explained the constitutional role of the Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions.
"He explains the constitutional position of the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions."
"He describes the difficult balance between political accountability and professional independence."
According to the Attorney General, Chief Justice Jallow also addressed ethical challenges confronting government lawyers.
"He confronts with honesty the pressures that come with practice in a small community where personal relationships and public duty often intersect."
"He insists that the law officer must resist improper influence, must step aside from matters where personal interests conflict with public duty and must treat every petition from a citizen as a serious claim for justice."
He said those lessons were particularly important for younger lawyers entering public service.
"For young law officers who sometimes see the job as simply processing files or defending government decisions, the chapter is corrective."
"It reminds them that their first allegiance is to the Constitution and the law."
"That their client is ultimately the Republic."
"And that their credibility depends on integrity, courage and competence."
The Attorney General announced that he intended to make the book part of the Ministry's professional development programme.
"That is why I will be asking that copies of Law, Justice and Governance, and in particular Chapter 10, be made available to all law officers at the chambers."
"And that it forms part of our induction and continuous professional development programme."
He said the Chief Justice wrote from personal experience rather than academic theory.
"Chief Justice Jallow writes these things not as an academic observer, but as someone who has lived every dimension of the office."
"As State Counsel, Solicitor General, Attorney General, International Prosecutor and Chief Justice."
He added that the Chief Justice's contribution extended beyond deciding cases.
"A top jurist does not just apply the law."
"He also builds institutions and sets ethical standards by which others would serve."
"In that sense, his books are an extension of his judicial legacy."
The Attorney General also reflected on the relationship between the Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary during the past six years.
"For me, at the personal level, these past six years have been an education in the practice of respectful constitutional dialogue."
He acknowledged that there had been disagreements between the Executive and the Judiciary.
"We have had moments of sharp disagreements."
"We have had many more moments of convergence."
He said the Chief Justice always approached those discussions professionally.
"In both, he has approached the Attorney General's Chambers not as an adversary, but as a partner in the shared project of constitutional governance."
"He has been firm when he believed the law required a firm stance."
"He has been open to explanation when the Executive faced practical constraints."
"He has always articulated his position with clarity and courtesy."
The Attorney General said he hoped to follow that example in future engagements with the Judiciary.
"That combination of independence, engagement, conviction and civility is something I will strive to uphold in my own future dealings with this Court."
He also said Chief Justice Jallow's retirement carried constitutional significance.
"It is also important to acknowledge that he retires at the age of 75, as provided for in our Constitution."
"After nearly five decades of service in law, in a region where judicial careers have too often been cut short by either coups, force or interference, it is no small thing that a Gambian Chief Justice completes his tenure in accordance with the law and leaves office through an orderly and dignified process."
The Attorney General said this demonstrated the strength of national institutions.
"That fact alone sends a strong message to our citizens and to the world that our judiciary is an institution, not a personality."
Although the Chief Justice was retiring from office, the Attorney General said his influence would continue.
"As he steps down from his office at the end of this month, we know that he does not step away from the law."
"His intellect will remain sharp."
"His experience will remain available to those who seek it."
"His example will continue to guide many of us on the bench, at the Bar and in the State Law Office."
Concluding his address, the Attorney General thanked Chief Justice Jallow on behalf of the Government and the Ministry of Justice.
"My Lord Chief Justice, on behalf of the Government of The Gambia, on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and the law officers with whom you have worked for so long, and in my own personal capacity, I thank you."
"I thank you for your service to this country as Attorney General, as Justice of the Supreme Court, as International Prosecutor and as Chief Justice."
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"I thank you for the courtesy, the patience and wisdom with which you have conducted your office."
He also praised the Chief Justice's judicial decisions and published works.
"I thank you for reminding us in your judgments and in your writings that law, justice and governance are not abstractions."
"They are tools through which we must protect the dignity of our people."
The Attorney General wished the retiring Chief Justice good health and encouraged him to continue writing.
"We wish you good health, long life and fulfilment in your years ahead."
"May you find time for your family, for reflection and for writings that we all hope you will continue."
"And may the tradition you leave behind honour your legacy, not by imitation, but by remaining faithful to the principles you have upheld--constitutionalism, independence and justice for all."
He also maintained that the accused was speaking aggressively.
"The accused was speaking aggressively," the witness said.
Ndow further told the court that he saw the altercation become physical.
"I saw the accused and the deceased engaged in an altercation that became physical," he testified.
He said the deceased did not immediately realise that he had been stabbed.
"The deceased did not immediately realise that he had been stabbed," the witness told the court.
According to Ndow, Mbye only became aware of the injury after blood began flowing from his neck.
"The deceased only realised he had been stabbed when blood started pouring heavily from his neck," he said.
During cross-examination, defence counsel suggested that the witness could not accurately describe what had happened because he had been too far from the scene.
"You could not accurately tell what had happened because you were far from the scene," counsel put to the witness.
Ndow rejected that suggestion.
"The entire incident occurred in my presence, and I know what happened," he replied.
The witness also denied that his account was inaccurate.
"I have been truthful throughout my testimony and have only narrated what I witnessed," he told the court.
Ndow further maintained his evidence regarding the object allegedly used at the start of the confrontation.
"I firmly believe the accused smashed a brown beer bottle on the deceased's head," he testified.
Mamadou Bah is charged with murder contrary to Section 155 and punishable under Section 156 of the Criminal Offences Act 2025.
According to the particulars of the charge, Bah is alleged to have, on 15 June 2026 at Fajara in the Kanifing Municipality, with malice aforethought, caused the death of Yunusa Mbye by stabbing him in the neck with a broken bottle.
The case was adjourned until 15 October 2026, when the prosecution is expected to call its eighth witness, PW8, at 11 am.
