Clerk Presents Alleged Audio Recording of Mama Jabbi in Ousainou and Amie Bojang Trial

The High Court of The Gambia on Tuesday continued hearing the case of The State vs. Ousainou Bojang and Amie Bojang, with testimony focusing on an alleged audio recording between Ousainou Bojang and one Mama Jabbi.

The prosecution was led by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) A. M. Yusuf. The first accused, Ousainou Bojang, was represented by Counsels J. Jeng and F. Bondi, while Counsel A. Sillah appeared for the second accused, Amie Bojang.

In the absence of Lead Defence Counsel Lamin J. Darboe, Counsel Jeng called the defence’s twelfth witness, Ebrima Charty—a clerk at Dabanani Chambers and resident of New Jeshwang.

Clerk Charty testified that he knew the first accused and was tasked with downloading a video from the Kerr Fatou YouTube channel that allegedly featured a conversation between “Mama Jabbi and Ousainou.” He explained that he converted the downloaded video into an audio file and transferred it onto a silver-coloured flash drive, which he later handed over to Counsel Darboe. Charty further confirmed signing an affidavit related to the process and said he could identify both his signature and the flash drive used.

Counsel Jeng applied for the audio to be played in open court, a motion that DPP Yusuf did not oppose. Presiding Judge Justice Jaiteh granted the application. However, the flash drive initially failed to play. Defence Counsel Jeng then sought to substitute the malfunctioning device with another containing the same recording.

The DPP objected, noting that the witness had only testified to using one flash drive. Justice Jaiteh overruled the objection after the witness confirmed that he had copied the file to multiple devices, and the court allowed the substitution.

The audio was played in court and reportedly captured a voice alleged to be Mama Jabbi accusing Ousainou Bojang of killing two police officers “to dirty President Barrow.” The witness identified the voices as belonging to both Ousainou Bojang and Mama Jabbi.

Following the playback, Counsel Jeng applied to tender the audio and its accompanying affidavit into evidence. Counsel Sillah, representing the second accused, raised no objection. However, DPP Yusuf objected, arguing that the prosecution had not been served with the recording and noting that the audio was in a local language rather than the language of the court. He requested a formal transcript be provided.

Justice Jaiteh granted the defence application for the audio to be transcribed into the official language of the court to enable cross-examination of the witness on the contents of the recording.

Invoking Section 166 of the Criminal Procedure Act, DPP Yusuf applied to recall Defence Witness 11 (DW11) for further cross-examination. Both defence counsels strongly objected. Counsel Jeng argued that such a motion required a formal application, while Counsel Sillah insisted that the matter had already been concluded, noting that DW11—referred to in court as “the white lady”—had been thoroughly examined by State Counsel Wakawa, who had declared his cross-examination complete.

Counsel Sillah further informed the court that DW11 had since left the jurisdiction. Justice Jaiteh ruled that before any order to recall the witness could be granted, the court must first confirm whether the witness remained in The Gambia. The defence was instructed to verify the witness’s whereabouts, and the court registrar was ordered to attempt contacting her via her UK number for confirmation.

The case was adjourned to November 18, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. for continuation of proceedings.