By Sainabou Sambou
The High Court in Banjul on Tuesday admitted into evidence a crucial police statement given by prosecution witness Ebrima Darboe (PW2) in the high-profile murder and attempted murder trial of Bubacarr Drammeh.
Presiding Judge Justice Omar Cham overruled a state objection and allowed the 10 March 2019 statement – taken just hours after the deadly forest confrontation – to be tendered as Exhibit DE1 in the case stemming from a violent clash in the forests between Gunjur and Berending in March 2019.
Drammeh stands accused of murdering Buba Jammeh and attempting to murder both Ebrima Darboe and Ebrima Colley during the incident.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel L.S. Camara, Darboe, a 51-year-old driver from Gunjur, confirmed he made the statement at Brikama Police Station on the same day as the shooting. He verified his personal details in the document – including his age, occupation, residence, and phone number (6237424) – and acknowledged his signature appeared on it.
The witness, however, told the court he is illiterate in English. “I used to say it, but I can’t read,” Darboe stated, explaining that while he can sign his name (including on cheques), he relies on others to write for him.
State Counsel M.D. Mballow objected to the admission of the statement, arguing that Darboe had initially said he could not identify the document and citing Section 79 of the Evidence Act on the proper procedure for challenging documents.
Justice Cham dismissed the objection, ruling that the statement was admissible and that its evidentiary weight would be assessed during final judgment.
Darboe’s dramatic testimony
In his evidence-in-chief and under cross-examination, Darboe recounted the terrifying events of that day. He told the court he and the accused were approximately 300 metres apart in the bush, with Darboe standing on his family’s land.
He said he saw two Fula men with the late Buba Jammeh, but did not speak to them or actually see Jammeh himself. Moments after the two men left, Darboe testified, Bubacarr Drammeh suddenly appeared holding a gun.
“He came with a gun and shot at me,” Darboe told the court. “It was the accused who shot me.”
The witness said the bullet grazed his leg. When the gun was pointed at him again, he bravely advanced toward Drammeh while most of his companions fled. Only one colleague, Seedia Touray, remained nearby.
The witness said the shooting took place between 11 a.m. and noon. He reached Gunjur Health Centre before 2 p.m., where he saw the body of Buba Jammeh, and was later transferred to Brikama Hospital before 5 p.m. All medical records relating to his injury, he added, remain with the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
The trial continues on Wednesday at 10 a.m., when the prosecution is expected to call further witnesses.
