TRRC Witness JCB Mendy Arrested on Suspicion of Trying to Abscond

Former army officer John Charles B. Mendy has been arrested by the police on suspicion of trying to abscond from the country.

Credible sources told The Chronicle that Mendy was arrested at the Giboroh police post along the Gambia-Senegal border. He’s said to have told the police that he was going to Casamance for a visit.

He has been taken to the Police Headquarters in Banjul for further questioning.

Mendy appeared before the TRRC last month and confessed to taking part in the shooting and killing of 11 November 1994 alleged coup plotters.

Update: Meanwhile, The Ministry of Justice has just issued a statement saying it has “requested The Gambia Police Force to arrest and detain Mr John C.B. Mendy who was attempting to leave the country today, 2 April 2019, for Casamance in the southern region of Senegal through the Giboro/Sileti border crossing.”

“The public will recall that Mr. J.C.B. Mendy appeared before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) on 19 and 20 March 2019 and testified about many events including the 11 November 1994 incident. Based on a totality of the evidence adduced before the TRRC so far, and in light of other available evidence in the possession of the TRRC, it was evident that Mr J.C.B. Mendy was “outrageously dishonest” in his testimony about his role in several incidents of violence,” the statement added. “Mr Mendy’s “outrageous dishonesty”, in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, betrayed a lack of empathy towards the families of the victims and the unwillingness to cooperate and assist in the reconciliation process in the country.”

According to the statement, the Attorney General, in order to encourage truth-telling before the TRRC and strongly discourage any attempts to deliberately conceal the truth in the face of mounting evidence, recommended the immediate dismissal of Mr J.C.B. Mendy and requested the cooperation of his employers at The Gambia International Airlines (GIA) in this regard.

“The Ministry would like to further reassure the general public that the TRRC process is not a witch hunt and that there is no need for anyone to abscond from the country, but that any attempts to deliberately conceal the truth in the face of overwhelming evidence will be regarded as an attempt to undermine the integrity of the process, and an unwillingness to cooperate and assist in the reconciliation process, and will therefore bear serious consequences.”