Gambia: Treason trial   kicks off with startling revelations

As Principal witness, Ebrima Marreh, implicates Gen Tamba and colleagues

By: Njie Khakatarr,Banjul, The Gambia

& Ebrima G. Sankareh, Boiling Springs, NC

After five grueling months in solitary confinement behind the harrowing walls of Gambia’s most dreaded Mile II Prisons- Africa’s hell on earth; former Gambian Army Chief of Defense Staff, Lieutenant General Lang Tombong Tamba and 9 other accused conspirators are now in a legal battle for their lives following withering allegations of complicity to commit treason, serious offenses that are punishable by death under Gambian law.

Following mounting diplomatic pressure and renewed outcry by news media and human rights groups across the globe, the genocidal regime of Gambian dictator, Yahya Jammeh, finally bowed down to pressure and hurriedly charged the former military officers and two businessmen with conspiracy to commit treason through coup d’etat.  After Friday’s hasty preliminary hearing on the case, the high profile treason trial of Tamba and colleagues opened in earnest earlier this morning in a parked courtroom amid tight security at the Banjul High Court before Nigerian jurist, Justice Emmanuel A. Amadi.

In passing, we hasten to add, that many Gambian observers as well as international human rights groups are of the strong opinion that a guilty verdict is a fait accompli given the history of Jammeh’s regime with Nigerian judges most of whom are now aptly associated with the pathetic metaphor of “mercenary judges” blinded by money.

In what many eyewitnesses described as startling, no sooner had the case begun than one Ebrima Marreh; the Prosecution’s Principal witness took the stand and began unleashing troubling revelations against the accused persons, charged with three counts of treasonable offences.

Marreh surprised everyone when he stood in Court unveiling his account with the accused persons.

Responding to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) who asked him to cast his mind back to 2009, Marreh told the Banjul High Court in his testimony that series of meetings were held at Lang Tombong Tamba’s house with the sole objective of toppling the democratically elected government of President Yahya Jammeh. Ironically, Jammeh himself came to power through a coup on July 22, 1994.

According to Ebrima Marreh: “I have been hired by General Lang Tombong Tamba to be part of the operation. I attended three meetings at Lang Tombong’s house in Kololi (some 12 kilometers from Banjul) with the architect of the 2006 abortive coup, Brigadier General Ndure Cham, Brigadier General Omar Bun Mbye, Colonel Lamin BO Badjie, Lieutenant Colonel Kawsu Camara (a.k.a Bombardier), the former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Modou Gaye, Gibril Ngorr Secka, Abdoulie Joof (alias Lie Joof), Yousef Ezziden (alias Rambo) and Omar Camara.”

Following these utterances, both the accused persons and their defense counsels were shocked and provoked to react but Marreh was undeterred in his withering testimony adding that, “in the meetings they say they have sent somebody to buy arms and ammunitions.”

Further testifying, Ebrima Marreh told the spellbound Court that “the former Army Chief, General Lang Tombong Tamba, was the brain behind the coup plot, as he was the one giving assignments and tasks to people.” “As such”, the Court heard, “General Tamba assigned Lieutenant Colonel Kawsu Camara (alias Bombardier), who was commanding Kanilai, the President’s native village, with the responsibility to monitor whether the Gambian leader was in or out.

According to Ebrima Marreh’s testimony, “in assigning a role to each of us, Lang Tombong Tamba tasked the Gambian businessman with Lebanese origins, Youssef Ezzedin (alias Rambo) and Abdoulie Joof (alias Lie Joof) with the responsibility to find ways and means of financing the coup.

Marreh further revealed that one “Rui Jabbi Gassama, a businessman from Guinean Bissau was supposed to buy arms and ammunitions.”

At the end of his shocking testimony, Justice Emmanuel A. Amadi adjourned the trial to tomorrow, Tuesday 23 March, 2010 for continuation.