Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Ministry of Justice has strongly denied claims of political persecution made by Melville Robertson Roberts, a former Gambian diplomat, insisting that he is facing serious allegations of sexual violence and remains a fugitive from justice.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Ministry said Roberts has been accused of rape and indecent assault by several women, with the Gambia Police Force completing investigations and submitting the case file to the Ministry.
“Since the lodging of these complaints, Mr. Roberts has not returned to The Gambia in a deliberate attempt to evade accountability. He remains a fugitive sitting in London and cannot therefore expect his file to be processed and closed in his absence,” the statement read.
The Ministry emphasized that a “comprehensive case file” has been compiled and that Roberts would be arrested and prosecuted should he return to the country. It also rejected Roberts’ frequent criticisms of Attorney General Dawda A. Jallow, saying the Ministry would not be “deterred by unfounded claims or public misrepresentations calculated to demean” the Justice Minister.
“The Ministry does and will not litigate cases through the media. Our role is to ensure that justice is pursued through the proper legal channel without fear or favor,” the statement concluded.
But Roberts swiftly hit back, describing the ministry’s position as a “fabrication” and an “act of desperation.”
In a strongly worded rebuttal, he claimed Attorney General Jallow had privately assured him that the matter was closed because “the case file was empty.”
Roberts further cited a judgment from the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which he said confirmed that “no indictment has ever been filed” against him. He accused the Ministry of hypocrisy, pointing to the case of drug suspect Banta Keita, whose prosecution, he argued, is continuing in absentia.
“What this press release truly reveals is not the strength of the ministry, but its weakness. It shows that my work, my articles, my publications, and my voice in the Gambian media space have gotten under the skin of Dawda Jallow,” Roberts wrote.
He accused the Justice Minister of being a “master manipulator” and vowed to continue publishing articles and speaking out against what he described as corruption and incompetence in government.
“I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced. My resolve remains unshaken: I will continue to speak the truth, I will continue to publish facts, and I will continue to expose corruption in all its forms,” Roberts declared, announcing he would host a Facebook Live session to address Gambians directly.
The bitter exchanges highlight growing tensions between the Ministry of Justice and Roberts, who has lived abroad for years. While the ministry insists he faces serious allegations of sexual violence, Roberts maintains he is the victim of a political vendetta aimed at discrediting his outspoken critiques of government officials.
