By Rohey Jadama
The leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and 18 co-appellants will today 30 May,2016 appear
before a panel of 3 judges of the Gambia Court of Appeal, headed by Justice Edrissa Fafa M’bai, to appeal for bail.
The other appellants are Kemeseng Jammeh, Femi Peters, Lamin Dibba, Lamin Jatta, Yahya Bah, Babucarr Camara, Fakebba Colley, Ismaila Ceesay, Momodou Fatty, Dodou Ceesay, Samba Kinteh, Mamudou Manneh, Nfamara Kuyateh, Fanta Darboe, Lamin Njie, Juguna Suso, Momodou L.K Sanneh and Yaya Jammeh and Masaneh Lalo Jawla.
Mr. Darboe and the 19 others, who are all members of the UDP, were earlier denied bail by Justice Ottaba of the special criminal Division of the Banjul High Court who later recused from further hearing the case thus leading to its transfer by the Chief Justice who reassigned the matter to another judge. They are therefore appealing against the ruling denying them bail by the high court.
It could be recalled that the accused persons are facing 7 counts of ‘Unlawful assembly’, ‘Riots’, ‘Incitement of violence’, ‘Riotously interfering with vehicles’, ‘Holding a procession without a permit’, ‘Disobeying an order to disperse from an unlawful procession’ and ‘Conspiracy to commit felony’, to which they all pleaded not guilty to.
