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Gambia: MFDC 9 Convicted And Sentenced
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FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
18 April 2008
Posted to the web 18 April 2008
Fabakary B. Ceesay
Magistrate Kayode Olagubutu of the Banjul Magistrates Court has, on Wednesday, 16 April, convicted and sentenced all the nine MFDC rebels to imprisonment for committing various offences.
He also discharged and acquitted some of the accused persons on some of the charges preferred against them. The judgment was delivered in a crowded court room with heavy security presence at the court premises.
In delivering the judgment, Magistrate Olajubutu pointed out that after he has studied carefully, both the evidence adduced by the prosecution and the defence, he came to the conclusion that the accused persons were guilty of committing most of the charges levelled against them. He, therefore, convicted them accordingly. Olajubutu stated that the prosecution has provided four witnesses and tendered many exhibits as evidence to prove their case against the accused persons.
He also stated that all the accused persons admitted that they obtained Gambian documents by false registration and that they illegally entered The Gambia. He added that only the 9th accused person denied illegal entry into The Gambia, but admitted obtaining Gambian Identity Card knowing that all of them are non Gambian citizens. He added that the ninth accused person claimed entering The Gambia with a "laissez passe", but that is a mere talk. Olajubutu noted that all the accused persons admitted that they are members of the MFDC rebel faction, which is struggling for the self-government of Casamance and that all of them are indigenes of Casamance.
Magistrate Olajubutu, after going through all the evidences before the court, including cautionary and voluntary statements of the accused persons, was convinced that the accused persons were guilty on most counts as charged and therefore convicted them accordingly.
All the accused persons, in their mitigation plea, begged the court to temper justice with mercy on them as that was their first offence in The Gambia. They said that they never had any bad intention for The Gambia and her people. They pointed out that their people and Gambian people are one and the same, historically, geographically and culturally. They pointed out that some of them have spent one to two years in detention in The Gambia prior to their trial.
However, following their sorrowful mitigation, Magistrate Olajubutu decided to reduce one year from their sentences, noting that they have already spent one year in custody pending the trial and investigations into the matter. They were sentenced as follows; Sidat Jarju to five years and six months, Nuha Badjie, four years four months, Lamin Tew Sambou got two years, Ansumana Jarju also two years, Tamsir Badjie, two years, Joseph Jatta two years, Abdou Salam Jammeh to serve four years and six months,, while Wuyeh Jarju one year. All the sentences are without any option of a fine and are to run consecutively.
Magistrate Olajubutu also ruled that some of the confiscated items be returned to the accused persons after serving their sentences. These items include a bag of 'Juju' recovered from them He added that the monies seized from the accused persons be given to the State and that the police should retain the items that deal with security affairs.
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After reading the verdict, the relatives of the convicts, mostly women, wept and attempted to get close to their loved ones, but they were not given chances by the armed riot police. The convicts were quickly whisked away to the state central prison at mile two in a police truck. Their loved ones were left sobbing in front of the court.
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