His Lordship the Hon. Chief Justice Mr. Justice Hassan Bubacar Jallow on the 21st of December 2023 acting pursuant to Sections131(3) and 143(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of the Gambia issued an order establishing the Special Criminal Division of the High Court.
The Order comes into force on the 26th of January 2024. The Special Criminal Division of the High Court will have jurisdiction over the local trial of cases arising from the implementation of the recommendations of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) and of the Government White Paper. The Division will in addition exercise its mandate over other criminal cases ordinarily falling under the jurisdiction of the High Court and those assigned to it by the Chief Justice. The chief Justice will assign Judges to the Division.
The establishment of the Division is expected to facilitate the better management of criminal cases generally and of the TRRC cases in particular.
The Special Criminal Division will complement other measures by the Executive and Legislature in this regard.
