By Bruce Asemota
The criminal trial involving the former NIA officials could not proceed yesterday before Justice Kumba Sillah-Camara at the high court in Banjul due to lack of a Mandinka language interpreter.
The matter was scheduled for the fourth accused person, Babucarr Sallah, to give evidence in his defence but the interpreter, Neneh Bass, lost her voice when she was about to start interpreting. As a result, the judge requested that another interpreter be brought and the court was stood down for 30 minutes.
However, after a frantic search throughout the various courts, the presiding judge was informed that the interpreters working with judges Amina Saho-Ceesay, Oleidi Uduma, Sainabou Wadda-Sise, Zainab Jawara-Alami and Ebrima Baa Jaiteh could not be traced.
The court could not proceed with the hearing of the evidence-in-chief of Babucarr Sallah who had opted to testify in Mandinka but to adjourn the matter to 15th February 2021.
