The trial resumed yesterday in the case involving Dr. Isatou Touray, executive director of Gamcotrap and Amie Bojang –Sissoho, programme coordinator of the same organization at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court before Principal Magistrate Ade Tawio Alagbe.
The two women’s rights activists were alleged to have, some time in 2009 in Banjul and diverse places in The Gambia, jointly stolen 30,000 Euros being money provided by the YALOCAMBA SOLIDARIDAD of Spain.
Omar Dibba, Gamcotrap youth coordinator, continued to give evidence and told the court that Gamcotrap happened to know one Daniel Didis when they contacted Yollocamba.
Mr. Didis was brought here by the region of Madrid purposely to start with the second phase of the project, which was never started, he said.
Dibba added that Gamcotrap had never mentioned anything like micro credit to any of their contract partners, and the person who wrote the proposal was not correct and was totally out of context, because Gamcotrap did not sign any proposal or contract with Yollocamba or the Region of Madrid regarding a micro credit scheme.
He added that Gamcotrap did not sign any contract with the Region of Madrid, but instead signed a contract with Yollocamba.
Mr. Dibba further said that Gamcotrap had sent the contract agreement to Yollocamba, in both hard and soft copy documents, adding that Gamcotrap also sent the end of contract agreement in both hard and soft copy documents to Yollocamba, which included the financial report for the project.
He told the court that defence exhibit 16 was an annual report format sent to the Yollocamba at the end of the project, because they wanted to show it to the Region of Madrid for the second phase.
The witness said that exhibit D4 was the email correspondence between Gamcotrap and Yollocamba, which was sent by him (the witness) on behalf of Gamcotrap, stating that exhibit D15 was the end of financial report Gamcotrap sent to Yollocamba.
Dibba also said that Bekonya and John visited their office and went through all the receipts and other supporting documents, and they met with the financial officer, and pictures were taken of that meeting.
When asked by defence counsel Amie A.A. Bensouda who took the photos of their meeting with the account officer, Dibba said he took the photos at the time of the meeting with their financial officer to review the receipts and other supporting documents.
Defence counsel Amie Bunsunda applied to tender the photos as defence exhibit.
However, the prosecuting officer, Superintendent Joof, raised an objection, saying that the photos were photocopies and were made by the accused persons themselves.
He added that the charge before the court was not about the pictures, but instead the 30,000 euro being given to them by Yollocambai.
The prosecution’s objection was overruled by the trial magistrate, and the document was admitted, based on relevance.
Asked by the counsel whether he was aware that the accused persons were charged with stealing 30,000 euro from Yollocamba, Dibba said every activity Gamcotrap implemented was always based on budgeting, and Gamcotrap had financial procedures and a policy which they worked on.
“We had both external and internal auditors who frequently worked with our financial officer,” he added, noting that their external auditor was Augustus Prom and their chairperson was Sidia Jatta.
The case was then adjourned till 16 August 2012, for cross-examination.
