By Bruce Asemota
The Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice Hassan B Jallow, Justices Cherno S Jallow, Awa Bah, EF Mbai and MM Njie yesterday overturned the death sentence imposed on Yankuba Touray, a former junta member of ex-president Yahya Jammeh government to life imprisonment .
The decision is in reaction to the former Junta member’s appeal challenging both the High Court and the Gambia Court of Appeal’s decision to maintain his death penalty for the murder of Ousman Koro Ceesay, a former minister of finance in the Yahya Jammeh government.
The Supreme Court asserted that the decision to set aside the sentence of death by hanging imposed by the High Court and substituting it with life imprisonment was premised on the death penalty (Abolition) Act, 1993.
The apex court pointed out that its decision has no basis to interfere with the findings of the High Court which found that the prosecution proved its case against Yankuba Touray beyond all reasonable doubt.
It also dismissed all the grounds advanced by Yankuba Touray challenging his conviction of the murder of Ousman Koro Ceesay thereby sealing his fate to spend the rest of his life in prison.
