By Kaddy Jawo
The State has dropped charges against former Minister of Local Government, Yankuba Touray and former speaker Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay in the ongoing witness tampering criminal case of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission.
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubacarr Tambadou, disclosed this information today at a press briefing held in the capital, Banjul.
“Interfering with a TRRC witness is a very serious offense and there are lessons here for everyone,” Tambadou warned. Touray was arrested on March 2nd, after a key witness, ex-army Sergeant Alagie Kanyi, informed the commissioners and state counsels that Touray and co-defender Jahumpa called to talk him out of testifying at the TRRC.
The minister said he is not yet in a position to inform the public of the reasons of the decision to drop the charges against Touray and Jahumpa but added that he hopes to do so soon in a subsequent press briefing.
“I also take this opportunity to renew my call for witnesses and potential witnesses to cooperate fully with the TRRC as it tries to establish the truth about the dark past and help in the reconciliation process in the country,” he said while warning those attempting to undermine this National healing process, in any manner, will face serious consequences.
Touray has been accused of involvement in several atrocities including the killing in 1995 of the former Minister of Finance, Ousman Koro Ceesay. Touray has been named in several rights violations and on Monday accused by Ousainou Darboe for the beating, at Denton Bridge, supporters of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in September 1996 presidential election campaign. Touray has already been invited by the TRRC to testify in a public hearing.
The Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) was set up by an Act of the National Assembly to investigate crimes, violence and human rights violations committed by the regime of former President Yahya Jammeh from July 1994 to January 2017.
The Commission was charged with the responsibility to grant reparation to victims and prosecute alleged perpetrators to avoid such reoccurrence of right violations. It’s also tasked with finding the whereabout or remains of victims.