By Adama Makasuba
Gambia Army Major, Lamin Fatty has denied partaking in the shooting of alleged 11 November coup plotters and debunked allegations made against him by other witness soldiers.
Major Fatty, who was a military intelligent in 1994, testified before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission on Wednesday at Dunes hotel.
Fatty, whose name was mentioned many times by witnesses he was involved in violations of human rights, only confessed to arrest and tortured military personnel including Lance Corporal Alagie Kebbeh, Warrant Officer Class 2 Abdoulie Trawally and Momodou Njie.
He said “on Sunday Edward Singhatey came to Fajara Barrack with a list and said I should go and arrest. I arrested Momodou Njie, I asked him to crawl and kicked him and Peter. At that time I was seeing as a croupiest and I regretted that. I arrested Alagie Kebbeh, I dragged him under a bed and put him in the boot of the vehicle, I was furious.”
“At that time and age was an error of judgment. Trawally was not beating, I didn’t beat him and I didn’t see him beating by anyone,” he said.
In response to the allegations leveled against him by Lamin Senghore, Alagie Kanyi and Abdoulie J Darboe, he described the allegations as lies.
“I would call him a liar of the century and I have reasons to say that. This Senghore is lying beyond doubts. I say you can contact Kantong Marena, I spent the night with Kantong Marena at Edward Singhatey’s house. I disagree in totality,” he said.
He denied been with Edward in the bush saying “I was not with Edward in the bush. Bring more witnesses, Marong and Marena are alive. Beyond all what I can say is I was not in the bush.”
Meanwhile, he told the commission that, he was unlawfully dismissed from The Gambia Armed Forces in 2010 on allegation of him assaulting a Police officer