Legal practitioner testifies in an alleged fraud case

Senior legal practitioner Pap Yassin Secka recently testified in an alleged fraud case involving one Serign Sillah, before Magistrate Jallow of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court.

Serign Sillah was alleged to have obtained money by false pretence from one Daga Nyang.

Testifying for the prosecution, Secka told the court he recognised the accused and could recall February 2011.

“PW1, Daga Nyang, is my wife,” he revealed, adding that she runs a tailoring shop at

He testified that few days before the alleged incident, PW1 informed him that she gave D30,000 to the accused to receive a tailoring machine from him.

According to Lawyer Secka, PW1 said that since the transaction took place quite some time ago, the accused had not brought the machine after receiving the money from her.

“On this particular day, in February 2011, I was in the tailoring shop with PW1,” said the legal practitioner, when the accused also came with someone else holding the machine that was supposed to be given to PW1 (Lawyer Secka’s wife).

“During the discussion, I came to know that the person accompanying the accused claimed to be the owner of the said machine,” the witness indicated.

He noted that they further claimed to have received D20, 000 in respect of the machine.

According to the witness, the accused claimed again that the balance was D25, 000, adding that the whole price for the machine was D55, 000 and not D50, 000.

“I got to know that the D30, 000 my wife gave to the accused was not part of the transaction,” he explained.

He further told the court that one of the people who claimed to be the owner of the machine said the accused stole the machine that was why he curtailed the price he sold it to his wife.

“Until this time, I did not want to be involved,” he said, adding that he asked the people who accompanied the accused as to whether they were aware that PW1 gave him D30, 000 to the accused. They all responded in the affirmative.

“In their presence, I also asked the accused whether he received D30, 000 from PW1 and in reply the accused confirmed that it was true,” he said.

However his wife had received the machine and kept it in the store. “I advised PW1 not to give the machine until the accused paid back the said D30, 000,” he added.

His reason was that PW1 had never dealt with the accused and had never seen them before prior to this incident, he said further.

Lawyer Secka told the court that the accused also accused him of “trying to own the law”, which he denied.

Later, he said, the matter was referred to the Kanifing Police Station.

“The police came to pick up my wife and I followed her to the station,” he revealed, stating that the machine was later handed over to the police.

He noted that statements were recorded and the matter was referred to the Serrekunda Police Station.

Yet the said D30, 000 had not been returned to PW1, he finally adduced.

The case continues.