A Gambian court has ordered the release of five of those detained for their alleged role in a December coup attempt and announced that five other suspects have been charged over the alleged attempt.
The Gambian Prosecutor’s Office has said that the five charged are four military personnel and a policeman, including the alleged ‘mastermind’ of the coup plot, Sana Fadera, as reported by news portal Kerr Fatou.
Along with Fadera, Ebrima Baldeh, Bara Touray, Bakary Njai and Fabakary Jawara have been charged. The three military personnel and two civilians have been released from prison in the absence of evidence to prove their involvement in the alleged coup plan.
The Gambian Prosecutor’s Office had asked last week for more time to finalize the charges after the case was transferred to the Supreme Court from a trial court that lacked jurisdiction to deal with treason cases.
Gambian government spokesman Ebrima Sankareh announced on December 21 the arrest of four military personnel who were «plotting to overthrow the democratically elected government of President Adama Barrow». A few days later three other soldiers suspected of involvement in the plan were arrested.
Barrow was sworn in January 2022 for a second term after the Supreme Court rejected in late December the appeal filed by the main opposition candidate against the official results of the elections of December 4, 2021.
The incumbent, who claimed victory in December 2016 after running as an independent with the support of Jamé’s opposition groups, was sworn in January 2017 after the dictator went into exile in Equatorial Guinea after initially rejecting his defeat, leading to a threat of military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
