Former Chief Of Protocol In The Witness Box

The former Chief of Protocol now the Permanent Secretary at the Office of the President, Alagie Ousman Ceesay, yesterday testified in the ongoing trial of Mr. Hamadi Sowe, at the Banjul Magistrates' Court.

Mr. Sowe is standing trial on two counts of funds received by agent for sale.

In his testimony, Mr. Ceesay told the court that he knew the accused person.

He told the court that on 12th August 2008, he received the sum of D700, 000 from one Yusupha Sanneh, Office of the President, which he handed over to the accused for the purpose of buying cattle for the Kanilai Family Farm.

He adduced that the accused person gave him a receipt for future reference after receiving the money from him, which he in turn forwarded to Yusupha Sanneh. The said receipt was tendered in court for identification purpose.

Under cross-examination, the accused, Hamadi Sowe, who was in court without his counsel, asked Mr. Ceesay whether when he delivered the D700, 000 to him he instructed him to hand over the cattle to him. In reply, he answered in the negative.

He further asked Mr. Ceesay whether those heads of cattle were meant for Kanilai or Banjul, Mr. Ceesay replied that he doesn't know, but all he could say was that the money was delivered to the accused.

On whether he knew that the D700, 000 delivered to him was only meant for heads of cattle or both cattle and sheep, Ceesay said "I don't know."

According to the particulars of offence on count one, sometime on 9th June 2008, Mr. Sowe received D500, 000 from one Yusupha Sanneh, on behalf of Kanilai Family Farm to buy cattle, but failed to pay the proceeds received from the farm.

Count two states that sometime in month of August 2008, he received an amount of D700, 000 from one Yussupha Sanneh, on behalf of Kanilai Family Farm to buy cattle for breeding, but converted the amount into his personal use.

The case, which was presided over by Magistrate Emmanuel Nkea, was adjourned to 18 November 20009.