By Fatou Sillah
Lawyer Lamin J. Darboe, party leader and secretary general of the National Unity Party and lead counsel in the Ousainou Bojang trial, has stated that he will not voluntarily respond to any police invitation amid speculation that he may be summoned for questioning over his public comments following the acquittal of Ousainou Bojang and Amie Bojang.
Speaking in an interview with Kerr Fatou, Darboe said he is prepared to be arrested if authorities wish to question him, but will not comply with a voluntary request.
“They will have to come and arrest me. I am not going to the police on invitation. When they arrest me, that is when I will go. It is not a big deal; I am ready for that,” he said.
Darboe also criticized the government’s handling of the case, accusing authorities of violating court orders in the aftermath of the acquittal.
“If this were a different country, the Inspector General of Police would have spent the night in a police cell for allowing officers to rearrest the accused and take them to police headquarters,” he said, adding that accountability should extend to senior officials, including the Minister of Interior and the Attorney General.
He further alleged that government officials acted out of a desire to please higher authorities rather than uphold the rule of law.
“They violated a court order, which amounts to contempt. There should be proceedings against them, and they should be punished. But they act based on their positions—whether or not they are instructed, they do it to please someone,” he said.
Darboe also called for the protection of independent institutions, emphasizing that government officials should not interfere in matters already before the courts.
“We should strengthen independent systems in this country. They should not have been involved in a case that is already before the courts,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Gambians Against Looted Assets, which organized street protests following the rearrest of the Bojang siblings, has warned that any attempt by authorities to arrest Darboe could trigger nationwide demonstrations.
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