The Ombudsman recently organized a day’s workshop to sensitize public officers to the new activities of the Office; namely asset declaration and visits to prisons, police cells and other places of detention.
These activities are being conducted in fulfilment of provisions of the 1997 Constitution and the 1997 Ombudsman Act.
Since the beginning of these activities, the Office’s objective has been to ensure that the needed awareness is created; hence this sensitisation workshop targeting senior officers of various public institutions.
The workshop which was held on 26 April 2018 at the Senegambia beach Hotel was opened by Ombudsman Fatou Njie-Jallow.
In delivering her opening remarks, Mrs Njie-Jallow attributed the commencement of the new activities largely to the political will of the current government and expressed gratitude to government for granting the Office unrestricted access to all places of detention.
She revealed that the Office had already started visiting prisons, police cells and immigration detention centres, aimed at ensuring that the fundamental rights of detainees are protected and that the conditions of detention are in line with international standards.
Mrs Njie- Jallow informed the workshop that her office had already started to carry out the important provision of Section 223 of the 1997 Constitution which required pubic officers to declare their assets to the Ombudsman and revealed that the various categories of public officers that her office had written to had been complying.
The Ombudsman described asset declaration as not a violation of privacy but of great benefit to any country because of its usefulness in the fight against corruption, and in enhancing transparency and integrity in public institutions while promoting the trust of the public in their governments.
Directors of investigation, human rights and communication Mr Pierre S. Secka, Mr Landing Bondi, and Mr Juma K. Camara respectively, made PowerPoint presentations on topics of Ombudsman’s role and functions, visiting prisons and assets declaration.
Journalists from both the print and electronic media attended the workshop.
Mr Ousman G.M Nyang, a deputy Ombudsman, gave the closing remarks.