By Bruce Asemota
The trial of Yankuba Touray, former Junta member has commenced yesterday, before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of the High Court in Banjul.
Yankuba Touray is charged with the murder of Ousman Koro Ceesay, finance minister in 1995 under Yahya Jammeh government.
The prosecution led by senior state Counsel A.M.Yusuf indicated that the prosecution has seven witnesses set to testify. He opened the prosecution’s case when he called Inspector Bubacarr Jamanka attached to the Criminal Investigations Dept to testify.
Inspector Jamanka told the court that on 28 June, 2019 he joined some of his colleagues at Kairaba Police Station and they head for the Anti-Crime Unit where he found Yankuba Touray and obtained both cautionary and voluntary statements.
The witness disclosed that he asked the accused person the role he played in the death of Ousman Koro Ceesay but the accused responded saying he was invoking his constitutional immunity and he didn’t make any other statement.
The witness further disclosed that the accused person also made a similar remark when he obtained his voluntary statement.
Inspector Jamanka told the court that after the statements were read to Yankuba Touray, he was asked to sign but he refused.
Responding to questions, the witness told the court that he was part of the investigating team.
He said the State was the complainant and when asked how the State made the complaint, Inspector Jamanka replied that the team was given a directive by a way of memo.
Asked if he saw the memo, he said he did not see the memo but he was briefed by the team leader.
The witness revealed that the team leader did not tell him who wrote the memo but that there was a directive from Banjul to investigate the role played by the accused person in the murder of Ousman Koro Ceesay.
