The Supreme Court in Banjul on Tuesday upheld the murder conviction of Yankuba Touray, who was sentenced to death by hanging by a High Court judge in 2021 for his role in the 1995 killing of former Finance Minister Ousman Koro Ceesay.

Touray, a former army officer and state minister, appealed the sentence through his lawyer at the country’s highest court. The Supreme Court began hearing the appeal on April 7, 2025.

On Tuesday, however, a panel of justices led by Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow upheld the conviction but overturned the death sentence. Instead, the court ruled that Touray should serve life imprisonment.

Human rights campaigners described the ruling as a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for victims. The high-profile verdict comes amid the prosecution of other major cases, including the landmark trial of alleged death squad member Michael Sang Correa in the U.S. state of Colorado.

By Adama Makasuba

More details to follow…