Two Senior Police Officer Testify in Government Vehicle Theft Case

In the ongoing trial of the government vehicle theft case involving Superintendent Manlafi Sanyang last Wednesday resumed at the Banjul Magistrate Court before Magistrate Kayode. The proceedings saw the testimonies of Prosecution Witnesses (PW) 2 and 3.

In his testimony earlier PW2, Assistant Superintendent Philip Jarju, attached to State House under Government Vehicles Control unit, said he knew the accused person with whom he worked in the same unit. "The accused was head of government vehicle control unit," he stated, pointing out that the accused had the mandate to control all vehicles owned by the state, as well as the processing of number plates for any vehicle purchased by the government through the Department of State for Works and Infrastructure.  He told the court that in the event of need to repair any vehicle, the vehicle in question would be sent to Kotu Workshop for repair and the workshop would issue a clearance to the Department of State for Finance for approval of the amount involved.

He informed the court that if a state vehicle is up for sale, it is sold in an auction under the Department of State for Finance. "But I was not aware of any vehicle registered BJL4591A.

Also testifying Officer in charge of registration of motor vehicle and number plates, Assistant Superintendent Fansu A. E. Faburay, said that he knew the accused as a police officer attached to Office of the President, State House, as Government Vehicles Controller. He told the court that as officer-in-charge of motor vehicles registration department, the vehicle registration number BJL4591 A is a Mitsubishi pick-up belonging to the Immigration Department. He adduced that the vehicle was later transferred to Youth Development Enterprise and registered as BJL 4591B. He said the said vehicle is the property of the state registered as a private vehicle. He testified that his office is responsible for issuing private, commercial and official number plates. He said the vehicle BJL 4591A and BJL4591B were registered during the time of Baba Jobe, who established the Youth Development Enterprise and the vehicle was meant to assist them in their business.

At that juncture the case was adjourned to today for cross-examination by the defence councel.