Amadou Sanneh was arraigned alongside Malang Fatty and Sambou Fatty and charged with conspiracy to commit an act with seditious intention, sedition, possession of seditious publication and false swearing.
The first prosecution witness (PW1) introduced himself as Bakary Baldeh, and told the court that he lives at Latri Kunda Sabiji, is a retired civil servant, and now a commissioner of oaths.
He said he knew all the accused persons because they were all detained at the NIA during an investigation, and that something had transpired between him and Sambou Fatty, the 2nd accused person.
“In September 2013, the 2nd accused came to my office with a document bearing the UDP letterhead,” he said.
“I was called at the NIA in connection with the said document which was a political asylum attestation form, on which I placed a red seal at the back of the document,” Mr Baldeh stated.
Asked whether he could recognise the document if shown to him, the witness replied that he could recognise it by his own signature and the seal. It was shown to him, and he confirmed it.
The case continues today for cross-examination.
Meanwhile, the second bail application filed by the accused, Amadou Sanneh, was yet again dismissed by the court yesterday following a ruling delivered to that effect.
The trial judge dismissed the bail application on the grounds that there were no fresh facts before the court.
Defence counsel Neneh Cham earlier told the court that she was applying for the 3rd accused person to be admitted to bail pending the hearing and determination of the case.
It was in the court’s records, she said, that the 3rd accused Sanneh was an accountant by profession, who employed many people; and has lot of clients as well as being an auditor for many institutions.
His clients need his services, counsel said, adding that the continued detention of the 3rd accused would not only disturb him, but would disturb his family and his clients.
She argued that the 3rd accused had properties that he could use to fulfill the bail condition, and has good sureties to bail him, adding that there was no evidence that the 3rd accused would abscond if granted bail.
“The issue of absconding is mere speculation,” she said, adding that the 3rd accused told her that his diabetes was fluctuating, and urged the court to grant him bail.
In response, the state counsel AM Yusuf told the court that the defence counsel could only bring this application by filing an affidavit, and urged the court to refuse the application.
The state on count one accused Malang Fatty, Sambou Fatty and Amadou Sanneh of conspiring among themselves sometime in September 2013, at Banjul and in diverse places in The Gambia, within the jurisdiction of the court to commit an act with seditious intention and thereby committed an offence.
Count two stated that Malang Fatty, Sambou Fatty and Amadou Sanneh sometime in September 2013, at Banjul and within the jurisdiction of the court, with the intent to bring hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against the person of the President of The Republic of The Gambia or the Government of The Gambia, printed malicious document titled “ATTESTATION” on a letter headed paper of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and thereby committed an offence.
Count three indicated that Malang Fatty sometime in September 2013, at Banjul and elsewhere in The Gambia and within the jurisdiction of the court, had in his possession a seditious document titled ‘ATTESTATION’ and thereby committed an offence.
The state on count four further accused Amadou Sanneh that sometime in September 2013, at Banjul and within the jurisdiction of the court, falsely made a declaration before one Bakary Baldeh, a Commissioner of Oaths withthe knowledge that the said declaration was false and thereby committed an offence.
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