Court Martial: Defense Counsel Claims Prosecution Fails to Prove Case Against the Accused

in the ongoing Court Martial trial, the defense counsels for the 26th accused persons argued on August 7, 2024, that the prosecution had failed to establish a case against their clients. The closing addresses were presented before Judge Advocate Mark Ngegba and the Board Members.

Lawyer Ady Macauley, representing Abubakar Turay, contended that the prosecution’s case was unsubstantiated. Macauley praised the Board Members for their attention to the case but asserted that the prosecution’s evidence was lacking. Turay, according to his lawyer, denied involvement in the alleged coup on November 26, 2023, and testified that he was not a consumer of alcohol as claimed by a witness who placed him at a local bar on the day of the incident. Turay also stated he left his post to attend to his sick daughter. Macauley criticized the prosecution for not presenting a call log to prove Turay’s alleged communications with the enemy and urged the Board to deliver a not guilty verdict.

For the 21st accused, Staff Sergeant Ibrahim Thorlu Bangura, Macauley argued that his client was in Makeni for a family funeral on the day in question. He highlighted that the prosecution failed to bring forward witnesses from Makeni who could corroborate his client’s alibi and relied instead on second-hand information.

On behalf of the 9th accused, Staff Sergeant Idrissa Kallon, Macauley stressed the burden of proof on the Board and called for justice based on the presented evidence.