Lawyer Borry Touray on Monday filed an appeal at the high court, for the case involving Dodou Sanneh, former reporter with the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), to start afresh before Magistrate Manyima Bojang of the Banjul Magistrates’ Court.
This development follows the dismissal of the no-case submission made by the defence at the last adjournment date.
Dodou Sanneh was being tried on a charge of giving false information to a public officer.
It was alleged that he wrote to the Office of the President this year, stating that his service was wrongly terminated as a reporter with GRTS, which information he knew to be false, and thereby committed an offence.
When the case was called, defence counsel Borry Touray told the court that the defence had filed an appeal at the high court for the case to start afresh, and also filed an affidavit in support of the motion, adding that they are relying on all the paragraphs.
“We are applying to peruse the court records, since my client has a case to answer, and he has undergone trial without legal representation,” counsel said, adding that the prosecution had closed their case after calling three witnesses.
Responding to counsel’s submission, the police prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent Sainey Joof, told the court that the prosecution was applying for a short adjournment to file affidavit in opposition.
He said the prosecution has the right to object to the appeal, stating that by the next adjournment date they would prepare their affidavit.
“The prosecution had closed their case after calling three witnesses, and it was now the turn of the accused person to open his defence,” assistant superintendent Joof stated, adding that since then the case had suffered a series of adjournments at the request of the accused person.
The case was at that juncture adjourned till 18 August 2011.