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| Colonel Ndure Cham (photo source: Unknown) |
His co-accused
Abdoulie Njie was acquitted and discharged on the same charges.
The duo were
arrested, detained and later charged in relation to the 2006 foiled coup plot
led by Colonel Ndure Cham, a runaway former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of The
Gambia Armed Forces.
They had, during
the trial, denied the charges brought against them by the State. They were
charged with three counts, two counts of concealment of treason against both
accused persons and one count of perjury against the Lowe, the 2nd
accused.
The prosecution
called three witnesses and tendered four exhibits to support its case and the
accused persons each gave a lone evidence, and tendered no exhibit.
On Tuesday,
Justice Emmanuel Nkea of the Special Criminal Court, presiding, found Lowe, a
former accountant general, guilty of the charges pressed against him. He said Lowe's sentence commences from March
2006 when he was first taken into custody.
He however, acquitted and discharged the first accused Abdoulie Njie on “lack of evidence”.
In March 2006,
The Gambia Government reported that it has aborted an attempted coup allegedly
masterminded by Colonel Ndure Cham. Some civilians and army officers were
arrested, investigated, and tried for their involvement in the treason plot.
While some were
convicted and sentenced accordingly, others were discharged and acquitted. Yet,
others like Lowe and Njie who were also arrested and investigated were not tried.
Mr Lowe was
convicted following allegations that he failed to inform a Minister, a
Magistrate, a Police Officer or a Member of the Armed Forces, of the plan to
overthrow the democratic elected government of The Gambia.
Written by Modou S. Joof
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