By Kemeseng Sanneh (Kexx)
Three media houses—QTV Gambia, Kerr Fatou, and The Fatu Network—have presented video footage before the High Court in the ongoing trial involving Ousainou and Amie Bojang, accused in a high-profile police shooting case. The footage, which covers a police press briefing held on September 15, 2023, was submitted in compliance with a court order granted upon the request of defence counsel Lamin J. Darboe.
When the matter was called before Justice Jaiteh, Director of Public Prosecution A.M. Yusuf represented the State, while Counsels Lamin J. Darboe and Adama Sillah appeared for the accused persons. Deputy Inspector General of Police Modou Sowe, who had previously testified, returned to the witness stand under oath.
Justice Jaiteh directed the subpoenaed institutions to submit the requested videos. QTV’s Deputy Manager Alassan Tunkara was the first to present a flash drive containing the full video of the September 15 press briefing. The video was played in open court without objections and marked as Exhibit D35.
Fatou Drammeh, Program Coordinator for Kerr Fatou, then presented their copy of the video. It too was played without objection and marked as D35A. Dawda Baldeh of The Fatu Network followed with his submission, which was marked D35B after viewing.
Justice Jaiteh thanked the media houses for their compliance, stating, “Without the evidence, the court can’t reach justice, and we thank you for coming and respecting the court order.” However, he noted with displeasure the absence of a representative from the Office of the Inspector General of Police, calling it “disrespectful to the court.”
Following the video admissions, the defence counsel resumed cross-examination of Deputy IGP Sowe. Counsel Darboe focused on the sources of information used in the police briefing. Sowe confirmed that the briefing was based on intelligence and admitted he could not provide the phone number of the accused, which he previously said was being tracked. He also confirmed that his statement about the accused possessing a weapon came from intelligence, not a formal recorded statement.
Under cross-examination by Counsel Adama Sillah, Sowe affirmed that he does not investigate cases himself but relies on the Crime Management Unit. He maintained that the press briefing was meant to inform the public and denied being under any pressure when giving the briefing. When asked whether former government spokesperson Ebrima G. Sankareh obtained his information from the police, Sowe said he was not aware of such communication.
After Sillah concluded his cross-examination, Deputy IGP Sowe was discharged.
The third subpoenaed witness, National Security Advisor Abubacarr Sulayman Jeng, was then called. Under questioning by Counsel Darboe, Jeng confirmed his current position. When asked whether he stated during the press briefing that the accused was part of a “rebellion group in Cassamace,” Jeng said he could not recall without reviewing the video. He confirmed he had no personal contact with the accused and had seen him for the first time in court.
Counsel Darboe then requested the video be replayed to refresh the witness’s memory. The court granted the request. The initial portion of Jeng’s speech was played, but it did not capture the relevant statement. The court is expected to continue with the question-and-answer session in the next sitting.
The case was adjourned to today for continuation.
