Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Prosecution witness Yaya M.S. Darboe was on Tuesday discharged by the court in the ongoing Sanna Manjang murder trial after presenting documents from a 2006 court martial that the defense described as unofficial and unverifiable.
Darboe, who appeared as the fourth prosecution witness for continued cross-examination, had previously been directed by the court to produce records relating to his alleged involvement in the failed 2006 coup proceedings.
The requested materials included court rulings, testimonies, and judgment documents from the court martial.
During Tuesday’s sitting, Darboe submitted several documents, including a copy of his testimony before the 2006 court martial, a statement attributed to his former wife, medical records concerning eye injuries he claimed resulted from torture, and a 2006 Foroyaa newspaper article reporting on the proceedings.
However, under cross-examination, Darboe told the court that the Foroyaa article had been downloaded from Google and that he did not possess an original copy of the publication.
Defense counsel S.K. Jobe argued that the materials presented were not official court records and therefore could not be independently verified. The defense later informed the court that it would not rely on the documents.
Darboe was also questioned about prison officers who supervised him during his detention at Mile 2 Central Prison. While he said he could not remember all the officers, he identified some prison officials present in court, including Chief Prison Officer Lamin Fadera, who is also expected to testify as a prosecution witness in the case.
Asked to identify the commanding officer at the prison at the time, Darboe said he could not recall.
The case was adjourned to 12 June 2026 for continuation of the trial.
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