Court Orders ADR Referral as Negotiations Break Down Between Envi Minister & Alkamba Times Journalist

Environment Minister Manjang and TAT Chief National, Correspondent, Kebba Ansu Manneh © Alkamba Times

By Edward Francis Dalliah

Presiding Judge, Justice Sonia Akinbiyi of the Banjul High Court Annex has ordered the referral of the ongoing case between Environment Minister Rohey John Manjang and Senior Investigative Journalist Kebba Ansu Manneh of The Alkamba Times to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for mediation, following the failure of negotiations between the two parties to reach a resolution.

The civil suit, valued at 50 million dalasis, was filed by Minister Rohey John Manjang against The Alkamba Times journalist last year in connection with a story published by the newspaper on 19th June 2024. The article, titled “Environment Minister, Former LRR Governor Accused of Involvement in Illegal Transaction of Seized Logs,” implicated the minister in illegal dealings of Mahogany logs.

In response to the publication, the Environment Minister demanded that both the journalist and the paper retract the story from anywhere it was published and issue an apology or face legal action. Despite this threat, both The Alkamba Times and Journalist Kebba Ansu Manneh stood by their report.

Appearing before Justice Sonia, Counsel Modou Drammeh, representing Minister Manjang, informed the court that attempts to reach an amicable resolution outside the court had broken down. Counsel T. Bayo, representing the defendant, also reiterated the failure of negotiations, confirming that attempts to settle the matter outside of court were unsuccessful.

When the case was last mentioned in court on 12th December 2024, both parties agreed to pursue an out-of-court settlement after the plaintiff’s lawyer requested an extension of the negotiated period. The presiding judge granted the extension, allowing time for settlement either through direct negotiation between the parties or the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism.

However, given the deadlock in direct negotiation, Justice Sonia referred the case to the ADR for mediation. The case was adjourned to 25th February 2025, giving both parties time to engage in the mediation process.