Police to Investigate Sexual Assault Allegations Against Melville Roberts
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubacarr M. Tambadou has assured complainants and the public that sexual assault allegations against Melville Robertson Roberts, a senior government official will be treated with the seriousness they deserve and will be referred to The Gambia Police Force for immediate and urgent criminal investigations.
In a press release Monday, Tambadou acknowledged that a number of women have recently made serious allegations of sexual assault including rape committed against them by Roberts.
“The complainants are hereby requested to contact The Gambia Police Force or the Ministry of Justice on (+220) 2223616/7674795 or mnjobe06@gmail.com or jengfabou@gmail.com, and extend full cooperation to the police in the conduct of these investigations,” he said.
Tambadou however clarified that “the initiation of criminal investigations into these allegations does not in any way suggest the guilt of Mr. Roberts who shall continue to benefit from the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
The Justice Minister’s statement followed an announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sunday that it was seeking advice from relevant authorities on how to deal with the allegations against Roberts, its director responsible for the American Division.
Roberts, a joint 4th most senior official at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and a trained lawyer has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault including rape and attempted rape. The alleged victims have inundated social media with stories of how he allegedly raped or attempted to rape them.
He appeared on a Facebook Live interview Saturday and denied any wrongdoing.
[…] In The Gambia, severe allegations of rape and sexual harassment were made by young women against Melville Roberts sometime in June 2019. Melville is a Lawyer and civil servant currently working as a Deputy […]