A Nigerian judge in The Gambia, Joseph Wowo, has been exonerated of all allegations of corruption by the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
Mr Wowo joined The Gambian judiciary in 2000. He rose to the position of Chief Justice of The Gambia in 2003.
In 2013, he was sacked from his seat on allegations of corruption by President Yahaya Jammeh.
Wowo contested his removal first via the Security Authority, which later initiated another investigation into the matter.
At the end of the investigation, no announcement was made with regards to their findings, prompting Wowo to call a press conference to address the issues.
Mr Jammeh granted Wowo state pardon after a trial which ended in his conviction.
Unsatisfied, Wowo proceeded to
After painstakingly listening to both parties, Justice Edward Asante leading a three-man panel delivered
The court held that Justice Emmanuel Nkea who found Wowo guilty in The Gambia was undergoing a corruption hearing before the same Wowo; therefore, was biased, which resulted in the violation of his human rights and fair trial.
The panel also held that the procedures for the removal of the Chief Justice of The Gambia as stated in the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia, with respect to a tribunal conducting an independent investigation, sending the outcome to the National Assembly, who will then, by a two-third vote, remove the Chief Justice, were not complied with.
Hence, Wowo was cleared of any stigma and cannot be described as an ex-convict.
The court also awarded nominal damages of the sum of $150,000 to Wowo for the violation of his rights to fair hearing and unjust incarceration.
It also awarded him $50,000 for payment of attorney’s fees and other costs to be assessed as a result of the application.
