By Mafugi Ceesay
The state prosecution in the criminal trial involving the NIA 9 yesterday closed their case and the defence has been given a week to file its submission.
When the case was called before Justice Kumba Sillah-Camara of the Banjul High Court, Lawyer Antouman Gaye, lead state counsel announced that they will be closing their case.
E Chume the defence counsel for the first accused person Yankuba Badjie informed the court that he will also be filing a no-case submission and asked the court to grant him a week or two to do so. The judge gave him a week.
It took the prosecution team two years to call 35 prosecution witnesses in this trial.
The accused persons are: Yankuba Badjie, former head of the NIA, Sheikh Omar Jeng, former director of operations at the NIA, Baboucar Sallah, Haruna Suso, Tamba Masireh, Lamin Darboe and Lamin Lang Sanyang. One of the accused Louise Gomez, a former deputy director of the NIA died in the course of the protracted trial. Another accused, Yusupha Jammeh, was discharged by the court at the request of the state.
