Charged and imprisoned more than two months ago for “simulation of offence”, Mohamed Youssouf Bathily known as “Ras Bath”, a well-known radio and television host in Mali, was on Tuesday June 13 in Bamako in court.
With our regional correspondent, Serge Daniel
According to witnesses, an imposing security device was visible at the court of Commune 4 in Bamako, where the trial was taking place. Ras Bath arrived on the scene wearing a navy blue t-shirt and jeans. At the bar, he listened silently to the presiding judge before responding in a rather offensive tone: “ I do not recognize the facts. »
Last March, in Bamako during a political meeting, the activist declared that the former Malian Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maïga, who died in detention a year earlier, was in reality ” murdered “. According to the official version, the former Prime Minister died in a clinic in Bamako. The prosecutor requested a three-year prison sentence against Ras Bath.
In the courtroom, speaking in turn, the defense lawyer, Me Kassoum Tapo, rejected the accusation. ” The simulation of offense is not proven since Ras Bath did not denounce the facts before an authority “, he added before claiming pure and simple release for his client. The verdict of the trial will be announced on July 11.