Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The High Court of The Gambia has refused bail for former Jungler Sanna Manjang, one of the most feared operatives of Yahya Jammeh’s hit squad, ruling that his continued detention remains lawful and in line with established procedure.
The decision was delivered on Thursday by Justice Sidi K. Jobarteh during Manjang’s first appearance before the High Court following his arrest last month after eight years in hiding.
Manjang, who is accused of participating in some of the Jammeh regime’s most notorious killings, including the deaths of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara, Gambian-American activist Alhagie Ceesay, and West African migrants, was arrested in November after years on the run in the subregion.
He faces three murder charges, which the Magistrates’ Court had earlier described as capital offenses.
Court Says Detention Is Lawful, Bail Not Justified
The case was transferred from the Magistrates’ Court, which had remanded Manjang under Section 72 of the Criminal Procedure Act pending his arraignment before the High Court.
Justice Jobarteh noted that the High Court received the file on December 4, 2025, and that Thursday’s session fell within the seven-day window required under Practice Direction No. 1 of 2022 for mentioning criminal cases transferred from the lower courts.
Although the State has yet to file a bill of indictment, the judge stressed that the High Court “cannot act on a holding charge” but would nevertheless operate within the practice direction, which allows the court to set deadlines for the filing of an indictment.
Justice Jobarteh acknowledged the defence’s argument that Manjang enjoys the constitutional presumption of innocence but ruled that this right had not been infringed. “His detention by the Magistrate was done in accordance with the law, and his case was duly mentioned before the High Court within a reasonable time,” she stated.
On the issue of bail, the judge underscored that although the 2025 Criminal Procedure Act permits bail for capital offenses, certain statutory conditions must be satisfied, conditions that, she pointed out, were not addressed by defense counsel.
Given the gravity of the allegations and the early stage of proceedings, she ruled that there was “no need to grant bail to the accused in the circumstance.”
State Given Deadline to File Charges
The Court has ordered the State to file a Bill of Indictment on or before January 12, 2026, warning that proceedings cannot continue without it. Manjang is expected to enter a plea on January 15, 2026.
Justice Jobarteh also directed the Director General of Prisons to grant defense lawyer S. K. Jobe full access to his client ahead of the arraignment.
Manjang’s appearance marks a significant moment in Gambia’s long-running transitional justice process.
For years, he was cited repeatedly in testimonies before the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) as one of the most notorious figures in Jammeh’s paramilitary apparatus. His arrest and upcoming trial are widely viewed as a major test of The Gambia’s commitment to accountability for past human rights violations.
