By Mama A. Touray
Former Gambian soldier Abdoulie Sanyang, who faces charges of arson and contempt of court, has pleaded not guilty before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of the High Court in Banjul.
Sanyang is accused of setting fire to the APRC political bureau in Kanifing in 2016 and of making contemptuous remarks about the judiciary during a live radio interview on West Coast Radio in August 2025. He was arrested at the Banjul International Airport shortly after the interview, in which he allegedly described the courts as “clandestine and controlled.”
When the case was called, state counsel S.L. Jobarteh informed the court that the matter had been adjourned from the previous day for plea taking, noting that the state had already filed the information. Sanyang, who opted to have the charges read in English, pleaded “Not guilty, sir” to both counts after the charges were read to him by Justice Jaiteh.
According to the particulars of offence, Sanyang is accused of unlawfully and wilfully setting fire to the APRC Bureau and of making remarks capable of prejudicing ongoing judicial proceedings and showing intentional disrespect to the court.
The state has since called its first witness, who is currently giving testimony.
By Mama A. Touray Former Gambian soldier Abdoulie Sanyang, who faces charges of arson and contempt of court, has pleaded not guilty before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of the High Court in Banjul. Sanyang is accused of setting fire to the APRC political bureau in Kanifing in 2016 and of making contemptuous remarks about the judiciary The Fatu Network
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