The sedition trial involving journalist Fatou Jaw Manneh and the state could not proceed at Kanifing Magistrates Court due to the lack of availability of the case file before the court.

On Monday, 17th March, the trial Magistrate Buba Jawo told the parties that there was no case file before him pertaining to the case. When the defence counsel, Lamin Jobarteh, wanted to be on record, Magistrate Jawo insisted that there is no file before him to put the records into.

He said that he would not even take any adjournment date for the case due to the fact that he does not know when the file will be available before him.

The state counsel, Mrs. Marley Woods, also told the court that the file has been reported missing. She told the court to give them some time to enable them to look for it. The case is therefore adjourned indefinitely.

It could be recalled that journalist Fatou Jaw Manneh has been standing trial since last April at Kanifing Magistrates Court. The case was later moved to Banjul Magistrate’s Court in August, which also moved it to Brikama Magistrate court but was never mentioned there.

The case was later taken to the court of appeal to determine the jurisdiction of the trial.

The court of appeal moved it back to Kanifing since December but it is yet to proceed at Kanifing on three occasions.