The team of defence lawyers in the ongoing ex-NIA 9 case has split, with difference over the assignment of the new team of Public Prosecutors to represent the state in the ongoing NIA 9 murder case.
The case resumed on Monday for the court to deliver its ruling in the arguments over the Attorney General’s fiat – appointing the new Public prosecutors to prosecute the case in which the defense team objected to.
The Attorney General issued a fiat to appoint Antouman AB Gaye as lead Public Prosecutor to be assisted by Sheriff M Tambedou; Rachael Y. Mendy; Lamin S. Camara; Yassin Senghore; and Combeh Gaye.
In the last adjourned date, the team of defense lawyers who were present in court objected to the assignment of the case to the said team of Public Prosecutors and filed an affidavit in opposition.
Lawyer Edu Gomez who is standing for the second accused person Louis Ritchard Leese Gomez was however absent during last adjourned date. Today, he openly said he is not opposed to the assignment of the case to the team of Public Prosecutors unlike defense counsels like CE Mene who is standing for first accused person Yankuba Badjie who vehemently opposed and is challenging it.
Meanwhile, the public prosecutors have also replied on points of law and served the defense team with their reply affidavit.
However, during Monday’s sitting, the defense team split over the opposition of the appointment of team of Public Prosecutors.
Lawyer CE Mene who is standing in for the first accused person Yankuba Badjie, told the court that he was just receiving the reply affidavit from the state Prosecutors following his affidavit in opposition to the appointment of the team of public prosecutors.
He urged the court to allow them time to also reply.
This prompted Lawyer Edu Gomez who is standing for the second accused person Louis Ritchard Leese Gomez, to disassociate himself from Counsel Mene submission.
Gomez also got the support of another Defence lawyer B Dago who is standing in for the 9th accused person Lamin Lang Sanyang.
This prompted Public Prosecutor Antouman Gaye to rise and told the court that only one Defense Counsel is oppose to their appointment as shown by Lawyer Edu Gomez and Doga who openly disassociated themselves with Mene’s submission.
Meanwhile, the case was adjourned to Monday, June 12th, 2016.
The erstwhile NIA Director General Yankuba Badjie and eight others namely; Louis Richard Leese Gomez, his deputy, Saihou Omar Jeng, ex- director of operations, Babucarr Sallah, Yusupha Jammeh, Haruna Susso, Tamba Masireh, Lamin Darboe and Lamin Lang Sanyang, are charged with twelve counts offences, ranging from conspiracy to commit murder, murder, assault causing actual bodily harm amongst other charges.
