By: Nicholas Bass
Honorable Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of Banjul High Court Tuesday cautioned three government officers to respect court orders.
Justice Jaiteh, presiding over the alleged shooting trial involving Ousainou Bojang, accused of killing two police officers and injuring another, ordered the three officers to come to court.
The Judge disclosed that the government spokesperson, Ebrima G. Sankareh, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Momodou Sowe and National Security Adviser, Abubakarr Suleiman Jeng ought to have appeared in court on 16 June 2025 as ordered by the judge.
Justice Jaiteh noted that despite the state filing a notice of appeal before the High Court informing the court of pending appeal before the Gambia Court of Appeal, the officers should have appeared in court so that they could be informed of the prosecution’s [state] that sought for a stay of execution of their summons.
The trial Judge deduced that the appearance of three officers in court as ordered by the court would have taught others to respect court orders.
In his response to the court, the Director of Public Prosecutions, A.M Yusuf disclosed that the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sowe and the National Security Adviser, Jeng were around, adding that the government spokesperson, Ebrima G. Sankareh who was not served with the court order was also available.
At that point, the presiding Judge ordered for the fifth defense witness [DW5], Famara Badjie to enter the dock to give his testimony.
Badjie stated that on the day of the incident, 12 September 2023 after closing from work, he found the accused, Bojang with a cutlass seated beside a swimming pool of Katherine and Co’s lodge.
Badjie claimed that the accused Bojang told him that he was informed of his pending police arrest, adding that he relieved Bojang at the lodge on 13th September 2023 at 7:00pm.
Still testifying, the fifth defense witness, Badjie, disclosed that Bojang usually goes on off-duties on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, affirming that he gave a statement to the police investigators at Banjulinding Anti-Crime headquarters.
When his statement was read to him in court, Badjie confirmed that it was his, noting that the said statement he made at Banjulinding Anti-Crime headquarters was read to him.
At that point, defense lawyer Lamin J. Darboe applied to have the Badjie statement admitted and marked as exhibit and the same was done without any objection. Justice Jaiteh, thereafter marked it as exhibit D34.
When asked by the court what the accused told him at the time he met him seated beside the swimming pool, he responded by stating that Bojang told him that a Jamaican musician named’’ Kartel’’ threatened to kill him. The witness was discharged at that stage as that was the end of his testimony.
Meanwhile, the court has granted an application sought by defense lawyer Adama Sillah for additional time to file an affidavit in opposition to the state’s appeal notice, and the prosecution and defense lawyer Lamin J Darboe were also ordered by the court to file a reply on or before Friday, 20 June 2025.