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LOUIS BASS OWES MAI FATTY APOLOGY
Wednesday, 01 June 2011 23:54
Editors,I write to add my voice in condemning the unwarranted attack against the person of GMC Leader by a known NIA spy called Louis Bass. I must say that it tells well on Mr. Fatty that agents of the NIA are on the loose trying to tarnish his image. This means that he is a dagger in the flesh of the regime and a manifestation that he is succeeding in whatever he is doing towards the liberation of The Gambia from tyranny. Please permit me to share my family's experience of the benevolence and selflessness of Lawyer Fatty.
My uncle Louis Sambou was picked up in February 2005 by the Presidential Guards from Bwiam. He was beaten and tortured to near death by Jammeh's thugs and thrown in jail at Banjul Police Station. He was held in communicado for eight months, and for six months the authorities denied holding him. Finally we traced him to Banjul Police Station at Force Headquarters. We were told that his case was under Serious Crime for links to the separatist fighters against MFDC. This was inaccurate because everyone in Bwiam knows that my uncle had a bar business and had no links to rebels. We could not get him out of police custody.
One day, a Police Officer whose name I would not disclose for fear that he may be victimised advised us to seek services of a lawyer because even they do not want to keep my uncle for lack of evidence but were afraid to release him. Since we never had encounter with the law, we did not know of any lawyer, and so we asked for advice as to which lawyer to go to. The Police themselves advised us to go to Lawyer Mai Fatty because according to them even they seek his help when they are in trouble. They told us that he is someone who would go to extremes to fight for my uncle. My aunt and I went to his Chambers and were told that he was at Bundung Magistrates Court. We waited for him, and upon his return we explained the case to him. My aunt explained that the family had no financial means since the arrest of my uncle, and for him to give us chance to pay him in the future. My aunt was crying bitterly. Lawyer Fatty 's reaction was to assure us and that he would take the case for free. There were many people waiting that day in his office. He came out of his office and pleaded with those people to allow him to handle our case and return the next day if their own cases were not emergencies. He told them that the liberty of a citizen takes priority in his Chambers and with my aunt crying inside his office, the others agreed to return the next day. That was the sympathy of Gambian culture shown to us by those.
Lawyer Fatty within an hour and a half took our statements, prepare court papers and gave filing fees and the papers to Sallah, his Legal Clerk to file them at the Court. First he drove us himself to Mr. Bright's office, to notarize our statements. He gave town trip fare to his Clerk to rush to the High Court to file the case. Throughout he was talking to the High Court Registrar on the phone as he drove with us to Serious Crime to see my uncle in jail. We met Lamin Cham, a detective of Serious Crime, and coincidentally my uncle was also there for further questioning. Lawyer Fatty declared himself as his Lawyer and told him not to speak any further. He informed them that he had filed papers in court for his release and would like to speak to his client in private. That was my first
experience at Police and also the work of a lawyer. He was calm, confident and intellectually abrasive. Detective Cham said that he had no orders for that to take place. Lawyer Fatty climbed up to the IGP's Office while we waited. As soon as he left, my uncle was hurriedly taken back to his cell. A little later, detective Cham picked the phone with quick yes sirs, and ordered the same officer who took my uncle to go get him. As Lawyer Fatty returned, my uncle was also brought back to Serious Crime, and he spoke to him for half an hour, and wrote his statement by hand, called Mr. Bright to come to the Station to notorize his statement there, and paid him from his pocket. He drove us to the High Court where we met his Clerk after filing the case. We waited for almost forty minutes, and I could not believe that when he said we would see a Judge. This was in November 2006, nine months after my uncle was in jail without ever seeing a judge. While waiting outside, a man came whom I later knew as Mr. Conteh, a Registrar of the High Court to follow him, and we met Lawyer Fatty in the Chambers of the Judge dressed with wig and black gown. It was my first time to see a judge or enter a court. After a lot of big English and other things, the judge said to serve the State and to come after a week. We thought all hope was lost, but he explained the procedure to us again. He himself accompanied the court clerk to serve the State at A.G's Chambers. It was almost closing time, and the papers finally landed in the office of a person he told was Nigerian Prosecutor Mr. Fangbenle who is now a Judge at High Court. We waited outside the door as Lawyer Fatty entered but later we heard him quarrelling with Fangbenle loudly.We returned to his Chambers, and again he assured us and gave us fare to return to Churchill's Town where we were staying with relatives. On the day of the hearing, I saw this Fangbenle this time and Lawyer Fatty had a small suit case full of big law books, and it was a tough fight. Mr. Fangbenle strongly opposed his release and was objecting many times. Lawyer Fatty was very well prepared and he addressed the court for a long time quoting from book to book. After almost two hours, the Judge, a female by the name Justice Esther Ota said there were no legal grounds to keep him under custody and should be released on that day. She said if the State has any case against him, they should file charges. Around 1 o’clock, Lawyer Fatty came out with a signed Order from the Judge's Chamber to release my uncle after nine months under custody for committing no crime. Lawyer Fatty drove us in his car himself with the Sheriff Bailiff one Mr. Jobe to serve the IGP. There were many people waiting for the IGP but Lawyer Fatty marched to the door and told the orderly he was being expected by the IGP opening the door at the same time and entered inside the IGP's Office with the Order. He called the Sheriff Bailiff to enter. The IGP told him to wait and Lawyer Fatty replied that he does not need more than a minute, just a signature on the bailiff's paper. The IGP jokingly told Lawyer Fatty if he was at his Office to arrest him and they both laughed. He looked at it, and called Inspector Sanyang to take it to Commissioner Admin to sign and release my uncle. Around 3 o'clock, my uncle was released and Lawyer Fatty again drove us in his car to Churchill's Town, gave my uncle D200 to fare himself and my aunt back to Bwiam.
For us, Lawyer Fatty is more than a hero but an Angel in human form. We are all human, and perfection is an attribute of God. So whatever the human frailties of Lawyer Fatty may be, all of us have our own human deficiencies, but to accuse him of tribalism is plain malice, evil and unpardonable. I am a ‘Njaago’ and proud of it, but Lawyer Fatty was not interested in who we were. He saw injustice and he fought against it with victory. He did not consider our religion or anything like that. He saw human beings in need of help, and not ‘Njaagos’ or other tribe. If Louis Bass is a decent human being with human blood in his veins, he should apologize to Lawyer Mai Fatty. The Gambia today is in urgent need of more Mai Fattys, and I will appeal to my fellow citizens not to allow their prejudice, jealousy or political inclinations to cloud better judgment. Let us embrace those among us who mean well for our society and stop the pull him or her down syndrome. Peace to all and to Mr. Fatty, keep it up, God is with you.
Pierre Sambou
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The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Jollofnews.
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