The doyen of the Gambia Bar Association, lawyer Surahata B.S. Janneh who led a team of defence counsel in the case of former high court judge Moses Richards, yesterday told the Banjul Magistrates' Court presided over by Magistrate Alagba to either discharge the accused person or decide his fate now.
Richards was earlier indicted by state prosecutors on charges of sedition and giving false information. He has denied the charges.
Defence counsel Janneh was reacting to a letter written to the court by the state law officer at the Attorney General's Chambers, who was absent, seeking for an adjournment of the case.
According to Janneh, the case was adjourned for yesterday at the instance of the prosecution. "So what we want is for the court to discharge Richards or do something about the case to proceed, because there are unnecessary adjournments," he told the court.
Presiding Magistrate Alabge, however, told him that the case was not adjourned for yesterday at the instance of the prosecution, but the court.
Counsel’s submission for the accused person to be discharged was premature at this stage of the proceedings of the case, Alabge added.
He subsequently adjourned the case till 17 February 2011.
