Commander Toumba Diakité was summoned on Wednesday by the Attorney General of the Dakar Court of Appeal, Lassana Diabé
Siby.
The former aide-de-camp of the former Guinean president, accused of having fermented the 28 September 2009 massacre and of shooting at Captain Dadis Camara, was taken from his cell at the Liberté 6 Criminal Camp and taken to the Court by three security agents, the elite corps of the penitentiary administration. Handcuffed to the wrists, he arrived at the courthouse Lat Dior, dressed in red jogging.
This hearing is part of the procedure enacted by the Senegalese Criminal Procedure Code on extradition. The procedure provides for an examination of the accused, of which a report is drawn up, which will then be forwarded to the indictment chamber, which alone is empowered to rule on a request for extradition.
According to sources close to the case, Toumba Diakité asked the Attorney General not to extradite him to Guinea, at least not before the start of the trial on the massacre of 28 September 2009. Toumba Diakité is afraid of returning to his country of origin. He is afraid for his life.
“Mr. Diakité explained a number of reasons why, today, he wants the Senegalese authorities to be able to settle here, while probably waiting for the people with whom he is to be tried, to be arrested and represented as well. Now, the rest of the file, we are waiting for it. That is to say that it would be necessary for the authorities of the Republic of Guinea to officially be able to make their request for extradition and that this request should be forwarded to the Indictment Chamber for consideration. Now, it would be necessary to discuss before the indictment chamber if today all the conditions are met for his extradition, “said Baba Diop, lawyer of the former aide-de-camp of Dadis Camara, to the microphone of our confreres of RFI.
The lawyer intends to file a request for provisional release in favour of his client if in 21 days the Guinean government does not forward the request for extradition of Toumba Diakité to the judicial authorities.
