By Abdulkarim Jaiteh
The Supreme Court of The Gambia led by Chief Justice Hassan Bubacar Jallow is expected to deliver judgment in the constitutional immunity case involving the former junta member and one-time minister Yankuba Touray.
Mr Touray is being tried on a murder charge since June 2019 for his alleged involvement in the murder of the late junta finance minister, Ousman ‘Koro’ Ceesay who mysteriously died in June 1995 at Touray’s resident.
Nine prosecution witnesses have testified during the main trial at the high court before the matter was referred to the Supreme Court by the presiding judge, Justice Ebrima Jaiteh in October last year.
The referral of the case came following the defence lawyer representing Mr Touray application for his client to be discharged and acquitted based on the 1997 constitution and his client status as a former member of the military council.
The state however slammed the application as ‘premature and misleading’ and urged the court to discountenance the application.
Today’s verdict by a panel of judges at the country’s constitutional court will determine Mr Touray’s fate as whether he should be immune from prosecution or not for his actions during his membership in the defunct AFPRC regime that overthrew the democratically elected government of the late Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara in July 1994.