Africa-Press – Gambia. The High Court of The Gambia on Wednesday rejected a bid by Abdoulie Sanyang to dismiss the criminal case against him, ruling that prosecutors had presented enough evidence to require him to defend himself against charges of arson and interference with judicial proceedings.
Justice Ebrima Jaiteh, who presided over the matter, dismissed the “no-case” submission filed by Mr. Sanyang’s lawyer and directed the defendant to open his defence.
Mr. Sanyang has pleaded not guilty to both counts. Prosecutors accuse him of orchestrating the burning of the APRC Bureau and of making public remarks that misrepresented an ongoing criminal case—The State v. Ousainou Bojang—in a way they say was capable of undermining public confidence in the courts.
According to the indictment, Mr. Sanyang allegedly arranged for individuals to set the APRC Bureau ablaze, an offence classified as arson under Section 305(a) of the Criminal Offences Act 2025. He also faces a charge of interfering with pending judicial proceedings, after he appeared on West Coast Radio’s “Coffee Time” program, where he allegedly referred to the courts as “clandestine” and made comments prosecutors say distorted the facts of an active case.
The prosecution called six witnesses and one subpoenaed witness, and tendered several pieces of documentary evidence, including audio and video recordings of the radio interview. In court, Therese Fatou Gomez authenticated the broadcast audio, while an IT specialist, Paul S. F. Sambou, submitted a flash drive containing the video file. Police investigators also tendered Mr. Sanyang’s cautionary and voluntary statements.
A key piece of evidence, Justice Jaiteh noted, was the video recording marked as Exhibit P7. The footage, played in open court, appeared to show Mr. Sanyang stating that he had paid individuals to burn the structure at the center of the arson charge. It also captured his remarks about the judiciary during the broadcast.
In his ruling, Justice Jaiteh cited Section 245 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which requires a court to acquit a defendant at the close of the prosecution’s case only if the evidence falls short of establishing a case that requires a defence. He concluded that the threshold had been met.
On the arson count, Justice Jaiteh said Mr. Sanyang’s alleged admission in Exhibit P7 amounted to direct evidence of procuring the commission of a crime, which under Gambian law renders an individual a principal offender. On the second count, he said the broadcast recordings clearly captured statements capable of interfering with the administration of justice.
The judge described the prosecution’s witnesses as coherent and credible, and found the evidence admissible and probative.
With the no-case submission dismissed, Mr. Sanyang is now required to begin presenting his defence when the trial resumes.
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