The treason trial involving Hamadi Sowe, on Wednesday, heated up at the Criminal Division of the High Court presided over by Justice MM Yamoa. Mr Sowe is being tried for allegedly concealing the March 21 foiled coup plot against the democratic government of The Gambia.

The case, which will now progress daily, has entailed the presentation of evidence from prosecution witness, Sergeant Sainey Ndure, who is attached to the Serious Crime Unit of the Gambia Police Force Headquarters, Banjul.

Police Detective Ndure informed the court that he was part of the panel of investigators on the foiled coup plot, in which capacity, he obtained a cautionary statement from the accused. But he denied any knowledge of the accused ever being kept incommunicado at the State Central Prison, Mile II.

“I have not seen any sign of torture on the body of the accused. I obtained a voluntary statement from the accused at a conference room at Mile II, in the presence of an independent witness named Babu Loum, who is a resident of Barra, in North Bank Region,”  the police detective said.

Sgt Ndure insisted that Babu Loum was present at the time he was recording the voluntary statement of the accused. He acknowledged that Babu Loum is his life-long friend, as both of them were born and brought up in Barra Village.

However, Detective Ndure could not recall the exact day the accused was arrested, but he opined that it was between March 28 to March 30, 2006.