By Alieu Ceesay
In a gripping courtroom drama on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Haruna Tine faced intense cross-examination before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh at the High Court in Banjul. The proceeding, a mini-trial (voir dire), centered on the voluntariness of a police statement Tine allegedly signed, which he claims was coerced. Tine, accused of murdering Fatoumata Kargbo, a Bureau de Change employee, stood firm in his denial of providing a voluntary statement to the police.
Prosecuting counsel F. Drammeh grilled Tine to ascertain the statement’s authenticity, which the prosecution had previously tendered as evidence. However, defense counsel Samuel Ade fiercely objected, arguing that Tine was tortured and forced to sign a pre-written document. Tine, under oath, testified that his hands were cuffed during the signing and that he was instructed to thumbprint the statement despite being literate in English and French. “I never gave a voluntary statement,” Tine declared, asserting he had no prior acquaintance with the arresting officers.
The prosecution pressed Tine on his presence at the Bureau de Change, where the alleged murder occurred. Tine explained he was there for a financial transaction involving D20,000. When Drammeh’s questioning veered into details of the murder, Ade objected, urging the court to focus solely on the statement’s voluntariness. Undeterred, Drammeh presented the contested statement to Tine, who read it aloud in court, revealing details of the murder case.
The high-stakes cross-examination laid bare the contentious issue of police conduct and the integrity of the evidence. Tine’s allegations of coercion have cast a shadow over the prosecution’s case, raising questions about the statement’s admissibility. The defense’s objections underscored the trial’s central dispute: whether Tine’s signature was obtained under duress.
As the courtroom tension mounted, Justice Jaiteh adjourned the matter to October 20, 2025, to continue Drammeh’s cross-examination. With the prosecution determined to uphold the statement’s validity and the defense resolute in challenging it, the mini-trial promises further revelations. The outcome will likely shape the trajectory of Tine’s murder trial, as the court grapples with allegations of police misconduct and the pursuit of justice for Fatoumata Kargbo.
