By: Foday Manneh
Sunday night, Jai Sarr Sabally, Momodou Sabally’s wife, told the online media platform KERR FATOU that her husband is being investigated for “treason.”
It follows the extension of Sabally’s detention under police custody.
Sabally was arrested on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, and will remain under police custody until January 5, 2023, after an application to extend his detention was granted by a judge at the high court on Friday.
“You cannot just hold or detain somebody under the pretext of investigating him, wanting to link him to an alleged coup.
“And they really want to, according to the court documents, and are investigating him for treason,” Jai revealed in the interview watched online.
Treason is the crime of betraying one’s country, attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government in power, and is not bailable under the laws of The Gambia.
The police link Sabally’s arrest to the contents of a video circulating on social media https://youtu.be/ynjQ0z3DV8E
His arrest took place less than 24 hours after a coup plot to overthrow the government was announced by the Gambian authorities on Tuesday, December 20, 2022.
Jai Sarr said she was initially at work when Sabally was picked up from their home to question him.
“I was at work when he called me and told me that the police invited him for questioning, but they later got orders to arrest him.
“He was arrested and taken to Kairaba Police Station before transferring to the PIU,” she said.
After being transferred to the PIU in Kanifing, Sabally’s family, friends, and supporters faced challenges seeing him.
“We were there with a group of family and supporters and, of course, UDP members until late at night, but we were not granted access. So that day, he could not eat because he could not receive his food.
“Later, we tried again and were told he was no longer there. We did not know where he was. We were frantic, so we rushed to Banjul Police Station, and he was not there either. Then we called it a night,” Jai narrated about the circumstances.
“The next day, I had access to meet him through his lawyer. I gave him his food, but he was not allowed a change of clothes.”
In the interview, Jai said her husband embodies the spirit of serving the voiceless and called the allegations against Sabally “completely bogus.”
Meanwhile, Jai Sarr is thanking every Gambian and supporter of his husband “for their continuous support during these hard times.”
