Three prominent Gambian media houses on Monday presented video evidence before the High Court in the ongoing trial of Ousainou and Amie Bojang, who stand accused in a controversial police shooting case that has gripped national attention.
The footage, aired during a tense courtroom session presided over by Justice Ebrima Jaiteh, captured a police press briefing held on September 15, 2023. The video was submitted by QTV Gambia, Kerr Fatou, and The Fatu Network in response to a court subpoena prompted by a motion from defense counsel Lamin J. Darboe. The court had previously ordered both the Inspector General of Police and the three media outlets to produce any relevant recordings.
When proceedings began, Director of Public Prosecution A.M. Yusuf appeared on behalf of the state, while attorneys Lamin J. Darboe and Adama Sillah represented the accused. Deputy Inspector General of Police Modou Sowe returned to the witness box, continuing his testimony under a prior oath.
Justice Jaiteh called on the subpoenaed parties to comply with the production order. All three media houses appeared and submitted their recordings, but the Inspector General of Police’s office failed to provide its own version of the footage or send a representative. Justice Jaiteh sharply criticized the absence, describing it as “disrespectful to the court.”
Alassan Tunkara, Deputy Manager of QTV Gambia, was the first to tender a flash drive containing the full recording of the September press briefing. With no objection from either side, the court admitted the video as Exhibit D35.
He was followed by Fatoumata Drammeh, Production Coordinator at Kerr Fatou, whose submission was also accepted without objection and marked as Exhibit D35A. Finally, Dawda Baldeh of The Fatu Network presented their version of the video, which was admitted as Exhibit D35B.
“I thank the media houses for complying with the court’s directive,” Justice Jaiteh said. “Without this evidence, the court cannot achieve justice.”
Following the submission of video evidence, cross-examination of Deputy IGP Sowe resumed. Defense counsel Darboe questioned Sowe on the credibility and source of the information he delivered during the September press briefing. Asked if he could provide the phone number of the accused individual whom he claimed was being tracked from The Gambia to Senegal, Sowe said he could not, citing intelligence protocols.
Sowe admitted under questioning that his remarks at the briefing—including the assertion that the accused possessed a weapon—were not based on formal statements but on intelligence reports.
Under further cross-examination by defense counsel Adama Sillah, Sowe confirmed that he did not personally conduct the investigation and that his role in the briefing was primarily informational. He denied being under any pressure—internal or external—at the time of the press conference.
Sillah also inquired whether Ebrima G. Sankareh, the former government spokesperson and acting IGP at the time, had received information from the police regarding the case. Sowe claimed no knowledge of any such communication, despite Sankareh’s prior public statements attributing his information to police sources.
Upon conclusion of the cross-examination, Deputy IGP Sowe was excused from the witness stand.
The court then heard from Abubacarr Sulayman Jeng, National Security Advisor to the President, who appeared as the third subpoenaed witness. During his testimony, Jeng said he could not recall stating during the September briefing that the accused was part of a “rebel group in Cassamance.” He acknowledged seeing the accused for the first time in court and admitted to having no personal contact with him.
When pressed about the source of his intelligence, Jeng stated, “If I said that, I got the information from the police.”
Counsel Darboe requested that the video be replayed to refresh the witness’s memory. The court agreed, and the video was played, though the initial portion of Jeng’s remarks did not contain the alleged statement. The court is expected to review the full question-and-answer segment in subsequent sessions.
The trial is scheduled to resume tomorrow for continuation.