The strange bed-fellowship between diaspora activist and the conveyor-belt style victims of President Jammeh is becoming an emotionally charged partnership. Former Daily Observer Managing Director, Dida Halake lead the cries with the call for Sabbaly to be freed by appealing to the high office of Gambian born head of the International Criminal Court Mrs Fatou Bensouda. Of late, the social media is rampant with cries of sympathy for Momodou Sabally a one time powerful figure in the dictator’s wild club.
The rule of law no doubt is abused in Sabally’s case and many other cases. Mambureh Njie is still detained, and many other trials went ahead with bias judgments and and harsh sentencing. How will the young ambition Jammeh-Made Sabally view all the reactions from his former enemies?
Sabbally’s case should be a lesson for many would-be Jammeh favourites. Young ambitious Gambians must remember that, dictators are not dictators because they are nice are dictators because they want to control the lives and well-being of everyone totally. Be mindful of getting close to Jammeh. The first day you get into his club, that is the day, he assigns an agent to watch your every move, record your every statement and connect all the people in your network.
Gambian elites should stop underestimating the ugly looking president Jammeh. He is not a fool, he is armed and dangerous. Sabbally a word of advise, don’t rob salt into the genuine tears of diaspora activist by wanting to praise President Jammeh and blame those around him. All the harsh brutalities you experienced were direct orders from President Yahya Jammeh. Blame no one for your plight but him. Remain dignified, you have fallen from grace.
Below is a point newspaper report on the bail condition
Justice Amadi of the Special Criminal Court in Banjul yesterday granted former Secretary General and Minister for Presidential Affairs Momodou Sabally bail of D1.5 million with one Gambian surety in like sum.
Sabally was also ordered to surrender all his travel documents to the court registrar.
Meanwhile, the surety should make sure that the accused person appears in court at every sitting to answer to the charges against him.
Justice Amadi also said henceforth the trial will be held once every working week, starting from 1 December 2014.
Sabally is facing an 8-count charge ranging from economic crimes, abuse of office, and negligence to giving false information.
Delivering his ruling on Sabaly’s bail application, Justice Amadi said senior defence counsel A.A.B. Gaye filed a motion dated 16 October 2014, in which the accused application to be released on bail was supported by a 33-paragraph affidavit sworn to by the accused person’s wife, Jainaba Sarr.
Counsel added that they are relying on all the 33 paragraphs of the affidavit.
He said defence counsel further submitted, among other things, that in the constitution and the criminal procedure code there is a constitutional presumption in favour of bail.
“I submit that the continued detention of the applicant will erode the constitutional guarantee of presuming innocent until proven guilty. I urge your worship to exercise discretion to allow the application and grant the applicant bail with a reasonable condition,” Justice Amadi quoted from the submission of the defence counsel.
In response, DPP SH Barkhum said the accused was brought before the court on an 8-count charge dated 22 October 2014, which includes economic crimes, abuse of office, negligence and giving false information.
The DPP also submitted, among other things, that economic crime is bailable, but the punishment should be put into consideration.
The applicant may run away if released on bail, the DPP said, adding that they are yet to conclude their investigations and other charges can be brought against him.
Justice Amadi said the constitution gives a right to liberty and states that no person shall be deprived of that liberty, adding that every person charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“Bail is a traditional right to freedom, which is the whole essence of bail,” Justice Amadi said.
Justice Amadi said someone who commits a capital offence is not entitled to bail.
Looking at the nature of the charges against the accused person, they are serious ones.
However, a decision at the end of trial is based on the evidence of the witnesses at the trial.
He agreed with the DPP on the severity of the punishment if convicted, and noted the fact that in the state’s affidavit in opposition, it is stated that the accused has wide power and could influence potential witnesses during the trial.
The accused is no longer holding that position, and he may not be able to get the resources to influence the witnesses, Justice Amadi said.
“The issue now is whether the applicant will surrender himself if granted bail,” said Justice Amadi.
The applicant’s affidavit stated that when he is granted bail, he would neither abscond nor interfere with potential witnesses, he added.
The judge pointed out that this was the first-ever criminal case the accused was charged with.
“I have gone through the affidavit sworn to by the applicant’s wife,” he said.
The fear expressed in the affidavit in opposition was that the applicant may run away if granted bail, but the counsel said the applicant would face the charges against him and would not abscond.
“With all the material before me and in the interest of justice, the objective of bail pending trial is to grant free trial,” he said.
He therefore granted Sabally bail.
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/d15m-bail-bond-for-former-sg-sabally
Sorry to say but you Gambian activist are fast becoming too soft. Sabally should suffer.
I agree especially for insulting Mandinkas. As a mandinka; proud of my culture and heritage, that hurts me a lot. Targeting mandinkas for insults in the hope of scoring political capital is repugnant. That’s why I have no sympathy for Sabally. Himself a mandinka.
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Two wrongs don’t correct wrongful conduct. Dida Halaki was merely being compassonate. Only Papa Kumba Loum and Lafia express strong statements against Sabally here. We all acknowledge his closeness to power and he was corrupted.
@Lamin Komah: I am sure PKL and Lafia will be satisfied with the 4 months he has served. As for Lt Colonel Sam Sarr, I didn’t know he had served 5 months before!
Dida, I am a believer in the rule of law. Sadly, the pain Sabally inflict on my honour when he insulted mandinkas meant that I was conflicted. In the end my position is that mandinkas should not be a soft target for insults in gambian politics and that makes me all too happy that Sabally has fall-out with his partner in this Mandinkaphobic crime and was learning a bitter lesson in Mile 2 or Bambadinka at the NIA HQ. To be honest with you, I am sure if this ordeal he went through is enough. I am still outraged.
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Lafia says: ” … the pain Sabally inflict on my honour when he insulted mandinkas …”
My Dear Mandingo Warrior, a mere “insult” is nothing to a properly grounded “HONOUR”. Trust me, His Highness Honourable Hail Haile Halake has experienced one or two insults and it means NOTHING!
Sam will be liquidated if he returns . Watch
Dida, I have no reason to become a Mandingo warrior because mandinkas are not in conflict with any tribe in The Gambia. Call me ” A Proud Mandingo” for that’s what I am and my honour is well grounded.
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Guys I do not have any personal grudge(s) against Mr Sabally despite that fact that I probably think that he has an exaggerated sense of his intelligence and importance. My point has always been that many Gambains and especially those who join the Jammeh government are hypocrites, immature and treacherous. After 20 years of moronic rule by Jammeh, we all know who and what Jammeh is all about. Even Dida Halake the pan-africanist who harbours support for “radical african leaders” and one time supporter of Jammeh realised that Jammeh was immature and a gonner. My beef with Gambians is that I have time and time witnessed supposedly educated Gambians join this despotic and tyrannical regime which has murdered, tortured and falsely imprisoned many and looted our meagre national resources. All these guys and their families and friends know what Jammeh is doing to Gambians and yet they not only turn a blind eye to these atrocities but even go out and defend it in public -the likes of Ngogu Bah, Pa Harry Jammeh, Sabaly, Lamin Jobarteh, Joseph Woowo, Ousman Badjie etc, etc, etc. It is only when karma catches up with them do we hear them, their families, friends and tribesmen etc,etc start crying foul. You see it ok to them when Jammeh and his thugs shoot and kill others, unlawfully confiscates the properties of others, falsely imprisons others so long it does to affect them. Now this is the Gambia we live in. So you guys out there spare me with your demented conscience about “two wrong don’t make a right…” . I think my point has always been clear. The evil that me do lives after them regardless whether you are a mandika, wollof, fulla, aku, friend, relative or foe. I rest my case