By Bruce Asemota
Yankuba Touray, the former minister who was sentenced to death for the murder of his peer, Ousman ‘Koro’ Ceesay, in June 1995, has gone to the Supreme Court challenging the capital punishment slammed on him.
The Gambia Court of Appeal last year upheld the death sentence earlier imposed on Mr Touray by the high court.
On his ground of appeal, Touray advanced that the appeals court failed to properly evaluate the evidence adduced by the prosecution before arriving at the decision of upholding the death sentence.
Touray’s lawyer, A Sissoho, informed the court that the record of proceedings of the Court of Appeal has been served to the attorney general as a respondent. He further informed the court that the applicant has also filed a notice of appeal.
Director of Public Prosecution AM Yusuf acknowledged receipt of the record of proceedings of the lower court.
The Supreme Court presided over by the Chief Justice Hassan Jallow and empanelled by Justice Cherno Jallow, Justice Mam Yasin Sey, Justice Awa Bah and Justice Edrissa M’bai instructed Yankuba Touray to file his statement of case within 28 days. The DPP was given a similar time period to file its response. Mr Touray will then be given seven days to file a reply on points of law upon receipt of the DPP’s response to the statement of case.
The matter was adjourned for hearing at the next sitting of the apex court.
