A high court in The Gambia has ordered that a serving soldier, Omar S. Jallow, be brought in to testify in the ongoing trial over the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) shooting.
The ruling came after a formal request by the legal team of the first accused, Ousainou Bojang. The defence argued that Omar Jallow, who had given a signed statement to police investigators in September 2023, holds key information about the incident but was never called to testify by the prosecution.
In his ruling, Justice Ebrima Jaiteh stated that Jallow was officially listed as a prosecution witness and that his testimony could play a critical role in ensuring a fair trial. Neither the prosecution nor the lawyer representing the second accused, Amie Bojang, opposed the request for Jallow’s testimony.
The judge emphasized that preventing the defence from calling a witness who had already cooperated with police would go against the principles of fairness and due process. He issued a court order for the soldier to appear and directed that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) ensure Jallow’s attendance.
Justice Jaiteh made it clear that any refusal or failure by the soldier to comply with the court order would be treated as contempt of court and could lead to imprisonment.
The trial is set to continueon July 7, 2025.
