A viral post claiming The Gambia’s new Chief Justice would get a D290,000 monthly pension after two to three years is false.
The claim, made by US-based Gambian commentator Nanama Keita in a Facebook post on August 31, 2026, also alleged the Chief Justice would receive an official vehicle, full medical coverage, and 24-hour security for life.
However, according to a fact-check report from DUBAWA, the retirement benefits for judicial officers in The Gambia are governed by the Judicial Officers (Conditions of Service) Act.
Section 18 (1)(a) of the Act states that a Chief Justice who retires after serving a period of five years shall receive a pension equal to his or her last salary in service.
This means that someone who leaves the office before completing five years of service would not qualify for that lifetime pension.
Instead, the Act provides for a gratuity — a lump sum equal to six months of the officer’s last basic salary — for those who retire at or after age 65 with at least five years of aggregate judicial service.
The legal framework ties the full pension to a five-year tenure.
The fact-check also noted that Section 141 of the Gambian Constitution allows superior court judges to retire on pension at any time after age 65 and requires them to vacate office at age 70, with a possible six-month extension to conclude ongoing cases.
The report said it could not confirm Chief Justice Edrissa M. O. Faal’s age from credible public sources.
Chief Justice Faal was sworn in on July 31, 2026, succeeding Justice Hassan B. Jallow, who had served since 2017.
Faal is a Gambian-American lawyer with close to four decades of experience in litigation, arbitration, and mediation across The Gambia, the United States, and internationally.
The DUBAWA report concluded that the claim about a lifetime monthly pension after two to three years of service is false, as the law requires a five-year minimum for such a pension to apply.
Source: LamToro News