Lers Please read the latest on the DUMO trial, I can see Dumo being released very soon. Regards Sanusi Marena acquitted - Dumo, others back to prison By Omar Bah Oct 21, 2003, 11:55 Email this article Printer friendly page A dramatic turn in the treason trial involving Dumo Sarho and others yesterday saw the release of yet another accused person, Momodou Marena. Presiding judge, Ahmed Belgore, acquitted and discharged Marena but maintained that there have been no changes in the case of Dumo and the others. Delivering his ruling on ‘a no case to answer’ submission made by the defence team, Justice Belgore first acknowledged that the submission of ‘a no case to answer’ is a common law practice in criminal justice administration.’ It is normal practice for defence counsel to do in criminal trials,’’ he said. The judge further informed the court that he has perused the evidences of prosecution witnesses one and two, Francesco Caso and Inspector Biram Jobe respectively, but both have provided no shred of evidence on the third accused, Marena. “It is therefore a great injustice to continue having him in the dock. There is no evidence against him. He is therefore acquitted and discharged,” he ruled. At this juncture, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, who represented Marena, beckoned his client to leave the dock and sit in the public gallery. The judge continued to say that going by the prosecution witnesses’ evidences, a prima facie case has been established against the first, second and fourth accused persons, Ebrima Barrow, Dumo Sarho and Ebrima Yarboe. Consequently, he urged them to enter a defence. Meanwhile, defence counsel Darboe urged the judge to advise the prison wardens that his client, Marena, is a free man and that they have no right to take him to the prisons any more, which the judge did. He went on to warned the prison wardens against keeping people in custody unlawfully. “I understand the last time two people were acquitted and discharged here, and you still kept them at Mile 2 for an extra night. That is unconstitutional. You have to uphold the Constitution,” he told the wardens, as he concluded his ruling. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters shortly after gaining his freedom, Momodou Marena thanked his lawyer for having represented him. He also thanked the judge for giving what he described as a fair ruling. ”From the very start, I was sure that I had nothing to do with the charges levied against me. I always had the confidence that I will be freed when justice takes its course,” a smiling Marena said. The case was adjourned to November 3 for the defence to open their case in respect of the remaining accused persons. It could be recalled that two other accused persons in the same trial, Lt Lalo Jaiteh and Lt Omar Darboe, were acquitted and discharged in July also on the basis of ‘a no case to answer.’ © Copyright 2003 by Observer Company ________________________________________________________________________ Want to chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE Yahoo! Messenger http://mail.messenger.yahoo.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~