FAMILY OF EX-GAMBIA CJ EXONERATES HIM OF BRIBERY

The family of Justice Joseph Wowo, the Nigerian born former Chief Justice of The Gambia, over the weekend, declared that their son who was alleged to have asked for bribe was being persecuted in the Gambia on account of his nationality.

In a statement issued by the family and signed by one Godwin Wowo, the elder brother of the justice, which was made available to journalists in Benin, the Edo State capital, the family argued that the bribe story was falsehood orchestrated in YouTube by powerful forces in The Gambia who did not want a foreigner to be appointed a Chief Justice of their country.

Giving a background to the travails of his younger brother who was two weeks ago granted bail by a Magistrate’s Court on criminal charges of giving false information to a public officer, Wowo explained that the former Gambian CJ, who was also a Judge of the Country’s Court of Appeal, was invited by Gambia’s ex- Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lamin Jobarteh, to help in resolving a dispute over land matter in which he(Justice Wowo as a High Court Judge) had earlier given judgment in favour of a German plaintiff, Bernd George Diedrich against 12 trespassers, including one Andre Sape Van Klaabergen who was the former Minister’s client before his appointment as Attorney-General.

He said the meeting which took place at the former Minister’s house was attended by parties to the land suit and their Counsel, adding that the ex-Minister had offered to pay D500,000.00 as compensation to the German for his client’s trespass, but the German through his Counsel, Mr. Christopher Mene had said he would not accept anything less than D1.5million for the portion of land occupied by Klaabergen who was 12th defendant in the suit.

While denying the bribe allegation against his brother as untrue, Wowo said the former CJ could not have been asking for bribe at such a meeting in the presence of all the parties, more so in a matter in which judgment had been given.

“There is no doubt that Justice Wowo is innocent. He is a Nigerian being persecuted in The Gambia on account of his nationality. He is being battered and bruised by those who have orchestrated the vicious and wicked falsehood against him”, he said and expressed pain that whereas The Gambia press knew the truth and published Justice Wowo’s innocence, the Nigerian press, without verifying their source, relied on a doctored version of a recorded meeting in the ex-minister’s house to scandalise and tarnish the image of Justice Wowo.

Source: Daily Independent