Three new magistrates were on Wednesday sworn in at a ceremony held at the office of the Chief Justice in the law courts building in Banjul.

The newly sworn-in magistrates included Sainabou Wadda-Ceesay, Kumba Sillah-Camara and Sagarr Cecilia-Jahateh. The oath for the trio was administered by the Chief Justice, Abdou Karim Savage.

In her statement during the ceremony, the Attorney-General and Secretary of State for Justice, Mrs. Marie Sain- Firdaus, noted that it is a day to rejoice, to reflect on the long history of the Gambian bench and to be proud of its achievement.

Addressing the three magistrates, she assured them that the path they had chosen is an honourable one and requires each and every one of them to execute her responsibilities with dedication, commitment and diligence without fear or favour, affection or ill will to the best of their ability. She urged them to do everything humanly possible to live up to what she called the high and uncompromising standards that befit the noble office of a magistrate and, where necessary, to temper justice with mercy.

Secy. Saine-Firdaus also assured the newly sworn-in magistrates of her Department’s continued co-operation with the judiciary in ensuring a better and more efficient administration of justice and to work towards ensuring that Gambians serve as lawyers, judges and magistrates in all corners of the country so that together they could make access to justice a reality and bring it closer to the people.

For his part, Chief Justice Abdou Karim Savage stated that the swearing-in ceremony is significant because it is unusual for legal practitioners to become magistrates in The Gambia. He said that the new magistrates are assuming office at a time when practical steps were being taken to make the judiciary a worthwhile institution for what it does and for those who work in it. He recalled that early this year President Jammeh announced at the National Assembly the policy objective of his government to ensure 95 percent Gambianisation of the judiciary by 2011. He stated that to complement this commitment the judiciary, with World Bank assistance, formulated its mid-term strategies 2007-2011, which if successfully implemented, will adequately position the institution.

The CJ further revealed that all in all the judiciary will be a different place to be within the next few years, asserting that the new magistrates will never regret joining the institution. “Indeed these magistrates have a noble and very important role to play in society and this is borne by the terms of the oaths subscribed to,” he concluded.