One Alhajie
K. Manneh, a major crime unit officer yesterday testified as the second prosecution
witness (PW2) in the trial of former Works Minister, Ousman Badjie, before
Justice Abi of the Banjul High Court.
Officer Manneh told the court that he is an investigative officer attached to the major crime unit in Banjul and lives in Sinchu Alajie.
He came to know the accused person sometime in November 2014 when he was asked by his commander to obtain cautionary and voluntary statements from the accused.
He read the cautionary wordings to him and was asked to write his own statements. He signed it and the independent witness also signed and he (Manneh) endorsed it, as he was the one that cautioned him.
He also obtained the voluntary statement from him, took his particulars and read the charges to him, which the accused denied.
He identified both the cautionary and voluntary statements with the particulars and the DPP SH Barkhum applied to tender them.
Defence counsel LS Camara did not object and the cautionary, voluntary and the particulars were admitted and marked in evidence as exhibits respectively.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel LS. Camara, he asked the witness whether it was correct that he did not know about what transpired at the Gambian Embassy in France.
“No”, replied the witness.
“Do you know the name of your independent witness,” counsel asked.
“Yes, his name is Basiru Drammeh,” replied the witness.
“Where does the independent witness work,” counsel asked?
“I don’t know,” said PW2.
“I would like to say that apart from recording the exhibits A, A1, A2 and B, you know nothing about this case,” counsel said.
“Yes,” replied the witness.
Under re-examination by the DPP, he asked the witness as to whether the independent witness is a member of the police or not.
However, the defence counsel, LS Camara, rose to his feet and objected to the question, saying that re-examination in law citing the evidence act was confined to matters referred to during cross-examination.
It means explanation of matters that are ambiguous, he said.
He said during the cross-examination, the witness said he did not know where the independent witness works.
He then urged the court to disallow the question.
The trial judge, Justice Abi, disallowed the question.
The DPP then asked for an adjournment to bring other witnesses, which was granted.
The case continues on 29 January 2015.
