By Sainabou Sambou
The High Court in Banjul, presided over by Justice Ebrima Jaiteh, has dismissed a no-case submission by former Gambia Armed Forces soldier Abdoulie Sanyang, ruling that the prosecution established a prima facie case on charges of arson and interference with judicial proceedings.
Sanyang, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of financing the 2016 arson attack on the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party bureau in Kanifing and making public statements that undermined an ongoing trial.
The case stems from Sanyang’s August 14, 2025, appearance on West Coast Radio’s Coffee Time programme, where he allegedly admitted to funding individuals who burned the APRC bureau during the post-2016 election impasse. He also described the courts’ handling of the high-profile murder case of The State v. Ousainou Bojang – involving the 2023 shooting of two Police Intervention Unit officers – as “clandestine” and “controlled.”
Prosecutors called six witnesses plus a subpoenaed witness, Therese Fatou Gomez, who authenticated audio and video recordings of the broadcast. Key exhibits included Sanyang’s voluntary and cautionary police statements, plus a flash drive with footage showing him claiming responsibility for paying for the arson and criticising the judiciary.
Defence counsel F. Bondi argued the evidence failed to make a prima facie case, seeking dismissal under Section 245 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2025. State Counsel M. Sarr maintained that the admissions were sufficient.
In his ruling, Justice Jaiteh held that Sanyang’s own statements implicated him as a principal offender in the arson, despite his absence from the scene. On judicial interference, the court deemed the recordings credible and likely to erode public confidence in the judiciary.
“The prosecution has adduced coherent, admissible evidence requiring the accused to enter his defence,” Jaiteh stated, ordering the trial to proceed.
Sanyang, arrested in August 2025 at Banjul International Airport, remains in custody. The case continues.
