The Justice Minister, Abubacarr Tambadou, has been accused of abuse of power after ordering the arrest, detention and prosecution of John C B Mendy, a former orderly to AFPRC Junta vice chairman, Sana Sabally.

Tambadou had ordered the police on Tuesday to arrest JCB Mendy as he attempted to travel to Casamance, Southern Senegal. The Justice minister also ordered Mendy’s employer, Gambia International Airlines, to dismiss him for his “outrageously dishonest testimony to the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).”

Police sources close to the investigation said they found no grounds for arresting and detaining JCB Mendy.  

A senior police official who preferred anonymity told the Fatu Network on Thursday that: “It was the Ministry of Justice that asked for his arrest. When that happened, they tried to interrogate him but apparently they could not find any grounds for arresting him.

“That was communicated to the Ministry of Justice but they ordered that he should be charged with murder. The ministry provided us with further details with regard to the killings at Fajara Barracks, Yundum Barracks and the [firing] range. So now he’s charged with murder.”

The Justice ministry’s press released on Tuesday warned of dire consequences for TRRC witnesses that refuse to tell the truth during their testimonies.

“The ministry would like to further reassure the general public that the TRRC process is not a witch hunt and that there is no need for anyone too abscond from the country, but that any attempts to deliberately conceal the truth in the face of overwhelming evidence will be regarded as an attempt to undermine the integrity of the process, and an unwillingness to cooperate and assist in the reconciliation process, and will therefore bear serious consequences.”

However Justice Minister Tambadou had denied any wrongdoing. He told the Fatu Network on Thursday that  “those who do not cooperate and tell the truth when they appear before the TRRC will face trial if there is evidence.

“I have said that many times in the past. The choice is theirs. We can’t satisfy every section of Gambian society, that’s just impossible.”