By: Cecilia E.L. Mendy
The Banjul High Court has adjourned the admission of cautionary statements into evidence in the trial involving former Lands Minister Abba Sanyang and others after the court noted that one of the defence lawyers was absent.
Justice Ebrima Jaiteh presided over Tuesday’s proceedings, during which the second prosecution witness, Police Officer Samba Mballow, testified before the court.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) represented the state, while Counsel K. Sanyang appeared for the first accused person.
During his testimony, Mballow told the court that he recognised two of the accused persons in connection with a panel established to investigate the land matter involving former Minister Sanyang.
The witness said he was assigned to obtain statements from the accused persons during investigations but only recorded statements from Kalilu Sanyang and Lamin Sabally out of the seven accused persons.
Mballow told the court that before taking Kalilu Sanyang’s statement, he informed him of his right to remain silent and that anything he said could be used against him in court.
He said Kalilu gave his statement in Mandinka, which was later translated into English, after which both parties signed the document. The witness said the same procedure was followed when recording Lamin Sabally’s statement.
The police officer further told the court that he did not take statements from any of the other accused persons.
When asked whether he could identify the statements he obtained from Kalilu Sanyang and Lamin Sabally, Mballow said he could recognise them because they contained his signature. After being shown the documents in court, he confirmed that they were the statements he recorded.
The DPP subsequently applied for the two statements to be tendered as evidence after defence counsel K. Sanyang raised no objection.
However, Justice Jaiteh noted that defence counsel L.J. Darboe, who is representing another accused person, was absent as he was before the Supreme Court attending to another matter.
The judge therefore directed that the statements should not be admitted until Counsel Darboe was present to respond to their admission.
The case has been adjourned to 27 July 2026 for Counsel Darboe to address the court on the cautionary statements before they are considered for admission into evidence.