By Fatou Sowe
Lawyers CE Mene and EE Chime, defense counsel for Yankuba Badjie the former director general of the national intelligence agency, have yet again failed to appear in the Solo Sendeng murder trial before Justice Kumba Sillah Camara of the high court in Banjul.
These two lawyers representing Badjie have been absent in court and according to the judge without excuse. When the matter was called the presiding judge realized that the said lawyers were absent, which prompted her to ask Badjie the whereabouts of his lawyers. Badjie responded that he does not know why his lawyers were not in court. The judge further queried that the said lawyers will not hold the court to ransom.
As a result, lawyer Antouman Gaye the lead prosecutor then expressed that both lawyers had appeared in different courts for their respective cases in the morning. So, he said they should not be allowed to contemptuously hold the court to ransom.
Gaye then applied for the 1st accused person (Badjie) to be served with the documents earlier served on each of the defense team. He further urged the court to invoke its power in this circumstance, as the said lawyers are officers of the court.
The defense lawyer I Jallow for the 3rd accused ( Saikou Omar Jeng) was likewise not in court. The presiding judge in her ruling stated that the said lawyers are absent in court without any excuse and that will not hinder the progress of the case because they have decided to abandon their clients in a heap of a criminal matter.
She ordered for all the documents due for service to be served on the 1st accused (Badjie) himself in court and such shall be deemed as sufficient service. She further ordered that both Yankuba Badjie and Saikou Omar Jeng have up to Monday to regulate the status of their legal representation.
At that juncture the case was adjourned to November 20, 2017.
