During Wednesday’s session of The Gambia’s National Assembly, the Member of Parliament for Banjul North, Momodou Lamin Bah, unintentionally brought to light the ignorance of the parliament about the consequences of the controversial amendments deputies made to the Commission of Inquiry Act.

The strange sequence occurred during an exchange with the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Hon. Dawda Jallow, regarding the commutation of bans imposed by the Janneh Commission on four individuals, one of whom is ineligible to run in parliamentary elections.

During the session, Hon. Bah asked the Attorney General to clarify the rationale behind commuting the bans imposed by the Janneh Commission, particularly concerning the impact on the eligibility of one of the individuals to contest parliamentary elections.

In response, Minister Jallow explained that the President’s decision to lift the prohibitions was made subject to an amendment to the Commission of Inquiry Act, which he believes was ratified by the assembly in December.

However, the revelation sparked further controversy when it became apparent that even the Speaker of the National Assembly appeared unaware of the implications of the President’s pardoning of banned state servants.

Hon. Sainey Jawara, Member of Parliament for Lower Saloum, interjected, stating that the case had been challenged in court by a private citizen and a constitutional lawyer.

In response to this revelation, Speaker Fabakary Tombong Jatta expressed confusion, indicating that he was not aware of the legal challenge. Minister Jallow acknowledged the existence of the court challenge, noting that he had only learned about it through the press and had not been formally served.

The accidental disclosure by Hon. Bah has raised concerns about the transparency and legality of the amendments to the Commission of Inquiry Act, particularly regarding the President’s authority to pardon individuals convicted of corruption and embezzlement of public funds. The matter is expected to generate further debate and scrutiny in the coming days.