The first prosecution witness (PW1), Salieu Jallow, recently testified
in the trial of one Yusupha Sarjo, accused of impersonating, obtaining money by
false pretence and defamation before Magistrate Jobarteh of the Kanifing
Magistrates’ Court.
Jallow told the court that he is the owner of MSJ Bureau de Change and that he recognized the accused person.
An order was given that all bureaus should close on 13 August, he said, adding that one day, one Musa Fatty told him that he knows somebody who could help his business, called Yusupha Sarjo.
Musa Fatty called him to meet with him opposite the FIBank building at Kairaba Avenue, he said, adding that Fatty introduced him to one Kissama Juwara and the accused person.
Jawara told him that Sarjo is working at State House, which Sarjo confirmed.
Jallow further told the court that Sarjo told him that whenever the President is travelling, he normally keeps watch in the country and when he returns, the President world ask him about all what has transpired in the country.
Sarjo also told him that he could help him (Jallow) to open his bureau de change, but he has to pay D300,000.
He told the accused that amount was too much, and that he could only pay D200,000, which they agreed on and Sarjo told him to deposit D50,000.
He went with Jawara and Fatty to his house and took the D50,000 and his business registration, which he gave to Sarjo in the presence of Jawara and Fatty.
According to Jallow, he waited for a long time and did not hear from Sarjo. He called Sarjo to ask how far he has gone, and Sarjo told him that he worked with other people, and if he wanted things to be fast, he had to add another D50,000.
They met and he gave the money to Sarjo, who told him that he had to share the D50,000 with other officers, Jallow told the court.
Jallow said after some time, when he did not hear from Sarjo, he called him again and the accused said his mother was ill and needed D10,000.
They met and he gave him the D10,000. After a while, he called Sarjo who told him that his mother was getting better, but he needed an extra D20,000 with rice, oil and sugar; after that he would start his business process.
He directed Sarjo to his younger brother, Abdourahman Jallow, who has a shop at Bambo to collect rice, sugar, oil and cash of D20,000, which the accused person collected.
Jallow told the court that he did not hear from Sarjo for a while, and sometimes when he calls him, Sarjo would say he was having a meeting or he was at State House or in Kanilai.
One day, he called Sarjo, who told him that he had a good message for him, but would not disclose it until he gives him D50,000, which he did when they met at the Post Office Junction, he said.
Jallow further told the court that Sarjo told him that the President had spoken to the Governor of the Central Bank to return his documents.
After that, he did not hear again from the accused until in the month of Ramadan, he added.
At that juncture, the case was adjourned to 31 December 2014, for continuation of the hearing.
