SET BACK AT Jaw's Trial

The protracted legal battle between the state and journalist Fatou Jaw Manneh could not proceed, for the failure of the State to file in their address to the court in response to the defence’s, which was filed since 23 June 2008.

When the case was called before Principal magistrates Buba Jawo’ Court, on Wednesday , 2 July 2008 ,the State counsel , M.B. Jones Nebu , told the court that they have not yet finished writing their address, due to other challenging matters . She, therefore, appealed for more time to enable them to complete the writing of their address.

Defence counsel Lamin Jobateh did not object to an adjournment but was quick to point out the need for the court to fix a short date for the State to file in their address. Counsel Jobarteh argued that the case has been dragging at a snail’s pace for a long time, since when the trial began little over an year, he said that he would prefer two days to be given  to the  state in order for them to file in their address and that he would also prefer another date to reply on points of law to the prosecution’s address.

Magistrates Jawo then adjourned the case to a forthright     to enable the State to file in their address.

It could recall that the defence counsel has filed in his address since 23^rd June but the State failed to do so and had asked for more time. The Court gave the prosecution up to 2^nd July but it again failed to file in its address and requesting for more time.

Journalist Fatou Jaw Manneh has been standing trial since April, 2007, on different count s of Sedition and Publication of false news.