Lawyers representing former AFPRC junta member Yankuba Touray want the TRRC Executive Secretary and Judicial Secretary to testify in the ongoing trial at the High Court.

Yankuba Touray is being tried for the alleged murder of Ousman Koro Ceesay, a finance minister for the defunct AFPRC junta, whose mysterious death in 1995 was alleged to have been a murder carried out by Touray and other junta officials. Touray has denied any involvement in the death of Koro Ceesay.

On Monday the defence lawyer A Sissoho  representing Yankuba Touray asked the court to summon the Judicial Secretary to produce the Coroner’s Inquest Report on the death of Ousman Koro Ceesay and for the Executive Secretary of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) to produce the official statement of Edward Singhatey and his statement regarding the death of Ousman Koro Ceesay. 

“They are not going to give evidence but to produce documents,” Lawyer Sisoho clarified.

He said: “We urge the court to sign the subpoena filed on the 15th June 2020.

“With humility, without the production of these documents, it will cause great hardship to the accused and will amount to denial of his constitutional right to fair hearing. The documents are very crucial to his defence.”

The defence lawyer said the prosecution witness Alagie Kanyi, a former soldier and close aide of the junta member, gave two versions of events relating to the death of Ousman Koro Ceesay during his testimony. 

The court hearing was adjourned to July 6 for the prosecution to reply on the two motions submitted by the defence team.