High court judge Ebrima Jaiteh has found Yankuba Touray guilty of the death of former Finance minister Ousman Koro Ceesay and sentenced him to death.

Touray is a former military officer and minister in the APRC junta led by Gambia strongman Yahya Jammeh. He is the first member of the junta to be tried for crimes committed during the military rule between 1994 and 1996.

In his marathon judgement, Justice Ebrima Jaiteh said the court “found the convict guilty of murdering, guilty of the murdering of Ousman Koro Ceesay in cold blood and having convict, that the court doesn’t have any discretion under section 188 of the criminal code. 

“The convict Yankuba Touray is hereby sentenced to death. And the pursuant to section 252 of the criminal procedure code the said sentence to death shall be by hanging.”   

Touray, 54, is accused of participating in the killing of former state finance minister Ousman Koro Ceesay, a charge he denies.

He has since been held in remand at the state central prison Mile Two after he refused to testify before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) set up to investigate human rights crimes and violation by the former Jammeh regime between 1994 to 2016.

Reporting by  Adama Makasuba