Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The highly anticipated defamation battle between Amie Bensouda, former Lead Counsel to the Janneh Commission, and Alhaji Mamadi Kurang, the Commission’s former Executive Secretary, failed to proceed on Tuesday at the Bakau High Court despite being scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
The case stems from a bitter dispute dating back to May, when Bensouda’s legal team issued a D144 million cease-and-desist notice against Kurang, accusing him of spreading false and damaging claims linking her to Jammeh-era assets.
Kurang responded with a counterclaim of D200 million, alleging that Bensouda’s camp had in turn defamed him through statements meant to discredit his integrity.
Kurang, flanked by his lawyers, was present at court, but the hearing was not called, prolonging what has already been months of legal wrangling.
At the heart of the case are statements and interviews attributed to Kurang since 2018, many of them made on social media and in the press.
Bensouda alleges that Kurang repeatedly accused her of “shady dealings,” bias, and conflicts of interest during her tenure at the Janneh Commission. She further claims that he falsely suggested she personally benefited from the disposal of assets seized under the inquiry.
Bensouda’s legal team argues that these allegations are baseless and malicious, stressing that as lead counsel, she had no authority over the sale or valuation of assets handled by the Commission.
They accuse Kurang of deliberately misinforming the public and tarnishing her professional reputation through insinuations and veiled references, even in instances where he did not explicitly name her.
Furthermore, Bensouda has indicated that she has also instructed legal counsel in London to pursue legal action against Meta Platforms, Inc., regarding the publication and amplification of the defamatory content on its platforms. The letter was written without prejudice to all of Bensouda’s rights and remedies.
Kurang, for his part, maintains that his statements fall within the realm of fair comment and insists he was unfairly targeted in return.
The case, which pits two key former figures of the Janneh Commission against each other, has drawn significant public attention given the inquiry’s high-profile mandate to investigate financial dealings under ex-President Yahya Jammeh. A new date for the hearing is yet to be confirmed.
