By Nicholas Bass
The Principal Magistrate Muhammed Krubally of Banjul Magistrates’ Court last Friday presided over the case of eight soldiers involved in a foiled coup that aimed to unseat the democratically elected President Adama Barrow of The Gambia from the government’s highest seat in the country.
In the narration of their charges, the police prosecutor disclosed that Sanna Fadera, Gibril Darboe, Ebrima Sano, Ebrima Baldeh, Omar M. Colley, Bakary Njai, Bara Touray, and Lamin Jadama (at Large) sometime between October and December last year (2022) within Banjul and diverse places of the Republic of the Gambia, prepared or endeavored to overthrow the democratically elected government of president Adama Barrow by unlawfully means, thereby committed an offense.
These seven alleged coup plotters namely Sanna Fadera, Gibril Darboe, Ebrima Sano, Ebrimaaldeh, Omar M. Colley, BakaryNjai, and Bara Touray were all present at the court and they pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit a felony against their Chief Commanding Officer, HE Adama Barrow. But the (number) eight accused coup plotter, Lamin Jadama, was out of the jurisdiction.
The lead police prosecutor, Superintendent A Keita in his plea said “considering the offense of treason which the accused were charged with, this court lacks the jurisdiction to hear this case for it attracts death and life imprisonment. I hereby apply for the matter to be referred to the High Court for appropriate jurisdiction and I am also submitting my plea under section 2008 of the Criminal Procedure Code for all the accused to be detained pending the hearing of the suit.”
The presiding Magistrate M. Krubally granted the plea of the prosecution and stated that conspiracy to commit a felony is bail able.
” I hereby grant the seven accused namely Sanna Fadera, Gibril Darboe, Ebrima Sano, Ebrima Baldeh, Omar M. Colley, Bakary Njai, and Bara Touray to pay a bail of D100,000 and each must provide a responsible Gambian surety who must deposit his/her original valid identity card or Passport to the court”, principal magistrate M Krubally ruled.
