This prompted the prosecuting officer, Sub-Inspector Cherno Baba Jallow, to apply for the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the three accused persons and also to revoke their bail and be remanded in custody until the determination of the case. “Your Worship, there was a court order that if any of the accused persons is absent, he should be arrested and remanded. They disregarded the court order. The case has stalled because of their absence,” he argued.
The defence counsel begged the court on behalf of one of the accused persons, who came late into the courtroom but was absent when the case was initially called, to give him the benefit of the doubt.
In her ruling, the presiding magistrate warned the accused persons who were present that if they failed to appear before the court on the next adjourned date, they would be remanded in custody until the determination of the case. “Pa Modou Bojang should be arrested and remanded until the 3rd June, 2024, when the case will resume because of his absence. For those who absconded, the prosecution should deal with that,” she further told the court.
Initially, the accused persons were 33 in number and three of them were later withdrawn but it was only 27 of them who were present in court.
They are facing eight counts of criminal charges, including conspiracy, preventing the making of proclamation, rioters threatening violence, common nuisance etc.
They are expected back to court on the 3rd June, 2024, for the prosecution witness to tell the court what he knows about the case.
