Jan. 19 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Gambia Prosecutor’s Office has demanded more time to complete its activities regarding the alleged coup attempt that was dismantled in December, after the indictment of several people for treason and conspiracy.
Gambian prosecutor Abdul Maita Yusuf has indicated that he is preparing to “submit an indictment document to comply with the procedures of the High Court”, where the case has been transferred from a lower court that lacked jurisdiction to deal with cases for treason.
“Taking into account that the case comes (to court) for the first time, we ask the court for leniency to give us time to present the charge sheet before the next set date,” he explained, as reported by the Gambian newspaper ‘Foroyaa’.
Likewise, it has affirmed that two of the defendants do not have legal representation for now and has asked the court to assign these people public defenders, while one of the defense lawyers has claimed to “put the house in order to proceed with the judgment”.
Lamin Camara, who represents the alleged ‘mastermind’ of the plot, Sanna Fadera, and Ebrimah Balde, has stressed that his clients have been detained for nearly a month and has stressed that they have the right to a speedy trial to determine their presumed guilt.
The Gambian government spokesman, Ebrima Sankareh, announced on December 21 the arrest of four soldiers who “planned to overthrow the democratically elected government of the president,” Adama Barrow. Days later, three other soldiers suspected of being involved in the plan were arrested.
Barrow was sworn in in January 2022 for a second term after the Supreme Court rejected at the end of December the appeal filed by the main opposition candidate against the official results of the December 4, 2021 elections.
The president, who won the victory in December 2016 after presenting his candidacy as an independent with the support of groups opposed to Jamé, was sworn in in January 2017 after the dictator went into exile in Equatorial Guinea after rejecting its defeat at first, which led to a threat of military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
