Vigorous challenge to article 22 of the organic law on the legal profession

President Raymond Obame Simaaddressing his colleagues on April 19 at the Libreville court on the inconsistency of article 22 governing their profession © Gabonactu.com

By addressing the lawyers with a total of 10 years of practice and the new ones who took the oath last Friday before the Court of Cassation during the solemn hearing, the Gabonese President of the Bar, Me Raymond Obame Sima, made it clear to his colleagues that the Article 22 of organic law No. 008/2019 on the organization and functioning of the judicial bodies is inconsistent and discriminatory.

“I had requested, in the interest of the national bar of Gabon, the repeal of this incoherent, unsuitable, anachronistic and discriminatory article”, castigated Mr. Obame Sima who also hopes that his voice will be heard by the highest authorities.

Swearing in of new lawyers before the Court of Cassation © Gabonactu.com

This article 22 provides in fact that: “only lawyers registered on the grand roll of the Order of Lawyers of the Gabon Bar for at least ten years can apply or plead before the Court of Cassation (…), admitted Lawyers, lend before the the Court of Cassation the oath”.

For lawyers, this double swearing is inconsistent. Because, to become a lawyer, the trainee lawyer takes an oath before the court of cassation. An exercise that he will have to repeat 10 years later before the same court to claim to plead within the high court.

Camille Boussoughou