By: Foday Manneh
The lawyer for the United Democratic Party (UDP) campaign manager, Momodou Sabally, has condemned the continuous detention of his client by the Police.
Sabally was arrested on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, and detained in police custody.
The Police earlier stated that Sabally’s arrest was in connection to a video circulating on social media in which he was suggesting how the President will be unseated before the 2023 Local Government elections.
The UDP man has since then been under Police custody until Friday evening when reports emerged that high court Judge Ngui Mboob had granted an application to extend Momodou Sabally’s detention until after Christmas and New Year feast.
However, this latest move to keep Sabally under continuous detention has been strongly condemned by his lawyer, Abdoulie Fatty.
“I state that the continuous detention of Mr. Sabally beyond 72 hours is an affront to democracy and respect for constitutional supremacy. Accordingly, I will challenge this decision and seek appropriate legal remedy in a court of competent jurisdiction,” Counsel Fatty said.
The legal luminary has also questioned the purpose of keeping his client in detention after the reason he was called is no longer in practice.
“What is the purpose and rationale for keeping Sabally in detention when the police do not seem to have further questions for him?” He asked.
If the Police had a substantive and compelling case against Mr. Sabally, they would have charged him or continued to interrogate him. However, he is not accused of any offense,” Fatty said.
While relying on section 17 of the constitution, Sabally’s lawyer said the fundamental rights and freedoms in it must be respected and upheld by all organs of the Executive and its agencies, which shall be enforced by the courts in accordance with the constitution.
“We cannot, and we will not allow state institutions to be used to unfairly victimize and subjugate citizens just because we may have differing political opinions,” Council Fatty added.
“This time, I will use my wig and gown to defend the integrity of the constitution and the laws of the country and progressive democratic ideals that we legitimately expected following the removal of Jammeh through the ballot box,” he promised.
