By: Fatou Krubally
The Minister of Lands and Regional Governments, Hamat Bah, has declared his intention to take legal action against The Republic newspaper for what, he described, as “criminal defamation” and “false information” published against him.
Speaking on Coffee Time With Peter Gomez on Tuesday, Minister Bah said he had taken note of what, he called, “false allegations” made against him and would not let the matter slide.
“I have seen and heard all the false allegations made against me, and I vow that I will leave no stone unturned in this matter,” he said.
The Minister strongly denied claims, suggesting his involvement in the purchase of properties belonging to former President Yahya Jammeh. “I have never bought any of former president Yahya Jammeh’s assets, never!” he emphasized.
Bah accused The Republic of engaging in what, he described, as “bad journalism and sensational, false information,” saying it was time for such practices to be challenged in the courts. “It is about time we stopped bad journalism and sensational, false information in this country while tarnishing people’s images,” he said.
He revealed that prominent lawyer Antouman Gaye is representing him in the matter and is currently preparing legal documents to initiate proceedings.
“My lawyer, Antouman Gaye, is already working on the documents on my behalf to sue the media outlet [The Republic] to court for ‘criminal defamation’ and ‘false information’. This has to stop in this country,” Bah stated.
The Minister stressed that his decision to pursue legal action is aimed at protecting both his reputation and that of the government, saying no one should be allowed to make damaging claims without presenting evidence.
“We will not allow anyone to tarnish the image of this government without evidence! I will make sure the cases are prosecuted and shall apply the full force of the law,” he warned.
Minister Bah, who is currently out of the country, announced plans to return to The Gambia soon to personally follow through with the case. “I will be back very soon to The Gambia, to take this allegation to court,” he concluded.
