4 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Gambian authorities have indicted three people – two civilians and one soldier – for “conspiracy” in connection with an alleged coup attempt that was dismantled in December.
The three have also been accused of “concealing treason”, which is why they have been denied release on bail. These charges imply that the defendants could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
The defendants are Mustapha Jabbi, Saikou Gassama and Fabakary Jawara, who rejected the charges on Tuesday during a visit before a court in the capital, Banjul, according to the Gambian newspaper ‘Foroyaa’.
The authorities consider that the three suspects conspired among themselves and did not inform the Government of the existence of a plan to overthrow the president, Adama Barrow after the military officer Sanna Fadera revealed the plans for the plot to them.
The Gambia’s National Security Adviser, Abubacarr Jeng, revealed on December 29 that the authorities were investigating the possible participation of civilians in the attempt because those responsible for it had held clandestine meetings with the collaboration of civilians.
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.” Days later, three other soldiers suspected of being involved in the plan were arrested.
Barrow was sworn in in January 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 achieved re-election despite the fact that this meant breaking his promise to only be in office for three years -which were fulfilled in 2020-, after reaching a controversial alliance with the party of the former dictator Yahya Jamé and after some allies will leave his side to compete against him.
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).
