By Yankuba Jallow
Absence of lawyers from the National Agency for Legal Aid (NALA) on Wednesday, 13th January 2021 hampered the NIA 9 case from proceeding.
This is the second instance the case failed to proceed in a space of three days. On Monday, the case was stalled after the defence lawyers were told there was no clerk for the case. The defendants (accused persons) were told the clerk was on exams and this was why the case couldn’t proceed on that day. On Tuesday, the case proceeded and Sheikh Omar Jeng, a former deputy director of operations at the NIA was able to complete his testimony under examination in chief as he awaits cross-examination.
The matter was adjourned to Monday, 18th January 2021 at 12 noon for the prosecution to cross-examine Sheikh Omar Jeng.
Jeng was arrested in February 2017, days after President Adama Barrow was sworn-in. The other accused persons in this case are; Yankuba Badjie, former director general of NIA, Baboucar Sallah, Haruna Suso, Tamba Masireh, Lamin Darboe and Lamin Lang Sanyang. Late deputy director general of NIA Louis Gomez passed away during the course of this trial while Yusupha Jammeh was discharged by the court. The protracted trial is almost four years old.