Magistrate Said to be Sick

The sedition trial involving the state and Fatou Jaw Manneh could not proceed yesterday in court at the Banjul Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Mboto.

The court was expected to continue with the hearing on the case yesterday 2nd August 2007. However, though both the defence counsel, Lamin Jorbateh, and the state counsel, AS Omar, were present in court, the magistrate was not as she was said to incapacitated by sickness.

The accused was some time ago arrested at the Banjul International Airport by officers of NIA, the state intelligence apparatus, before being detained and interrogation in connection to an interview she is alleged to have granted a newspaper while residing in United States of America. Few days afterwards she was brought before the Kanifing court, charged with sedition and uttering seditious words that were deemed to evoke alarm.

The state has since called two witnesses to help prove their case against the accused.

The proceedings struck an impasse upon the ruling by Magistrate Jawo of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter. Magistrate Jawo based his verdict on the fact that the investigation leading to the charge was carried out in Banjul. The case was thenceforth transferred to the Banjul Magistrates Court.

The hearing resumes on Monday, 6th August 2007.