The appeal
case filed by the former Navy chief of staff, Rear Admiral Sarjo Fofona,
continued yesterday at the Gambia Court of Appeal, before a three-member panel
of judges, chaired by Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle.
Sarjo Fofona filed an appeal before the said court challenging the decision of the Special Criminal Court that convicted and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment on treasonable offences.
When the case was announced in court, the defence counsel L.K Mboge announced his representation for the appellant.
The court then asked him how many copies of the records of proceedings he has, and the defence counsel said originally he had three, but it was supposed to be six copies.
He was further asked how long it would take him to have the record of proceedings ready, and counsel replied that it would be ready within a week.
The judges told him to work with the registry so that he could expedite the process, which counsel promised to do.
The judges then said that there was no way the case could proceed without the record of proceedings.
The court then adjourned the case to 29 July2013, for mention.
It would be recalled that Sarjo Fofona was convicted and sentenced alongside Lang Tombong Tamba, by the Special Criminal Court in Banjul in May 2011, to 20 years imprisonment on four counts of treasonable offences in connection with the 21st March 2006 abortive coup attempt, alleged to have been masterminded by the former chief of defence staff, Colonel Ndure Cham.
Tamba and Fofana were sentenced on count one, which was conspiracy to commit treason, to 20 years imprisonment and, on count two, which was treason, to another 20 years imprisonment.
Lang Tombong Tamba was also sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on count three, for concealment of treason, and on count four, also for concealment of treason, to another 10 years imprisonment
The charges preferred against the former senior military officers included conspiracy to commit treason, treason, and concealment of treason, charges which both men denied.
