The police have brought additional charges of abuse of
office and stealing against Foday Barry, who is standing trial alongside Pa
Habibou Mbye, at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court before Principal Magistrate
Taiwo Ade Alagbe.
Foday Barry, former director of Intelligence and Investigation at the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA), and Pa Habibou Mbye, former crime management coordinator at the NDEA, are standing trial on charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, stealing, making false documents, uttering false documents, stealing and abuse of office.
When the additional charges were read to him during Tuesday’s court proceeding, Barry denied them.
At that juncture, PW3, Ousman Drammeh, was called to continue his testimony under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Ozuma.
Drammeh told the court that he would not know the business Robert Danquah was doing in The Gambia.
He pointed out that prior to going to the hotel room of Danquah, he met him at Westfield, but he did not know whether that was his first time in The Gambia.
Asked whether he was aware of Danquah’s connection with drug dealers, Drammeh said he did not know about that. What he could remember was that he sold a laptop to him, and that they were in the same detention center at Holgam in Kanifing.
He added that he made three statements in respect of the case, one at Holgam NDEA in Kanifing, another one at the NIA headquarters in Banjul, and one on 14 November 2012 at the police headquarters in Banjul.
Drammeh said he was aware that the case was under investigation when he was giving his witness statement.
When told that Robert Danquah had never told him to facilitate his bail through the accused persons, Drammeh maintained that Danquah did so and that was the time Foday Barry asked him to ask Danquah whether he had D200,000 to grant him bail.
He also told the court that one day, during his time in detention at Holgam, he saw Foday Barry and Lamin Gassama putting money in the safe.
Drammeh insisted that his D12, 000 being the cost of the laptop was taken by Foday Barry, and not forfeited to the state.
He maintained that he sold the laptop to Danquah, and that the laptop no longer belonged to him, but his D12, 000 which was still missing.
He said Danquah advised him to forget about the money, but he insisted that he would not forget his money and there was an argument between him and Danquah.
Hearing continues on 3 December 2012.
The particulars of offence on count one stated that Alh Foday Barry and Pa Habibou Mbye, between 2010 and 2012, in Banjul and diverse places, within the jurisdiction of the court, with an apparent intent for deception, jointly conspired to defraud one Robert Danquah, an inmate in Mile 2 Central Prisons of D230,000.
Count two stated that Alh Foday Barry, between 2010 and 2012, in Banjul and diverse places, within the jurisdiction of the court, stole an amount of D230,000 from one Robert Danquah, an inmate at the Mile 2 Central Prisons.
Furthermore, count three read that Alh Foady Barry, between 2010 and 2012, in Banjul and diverse places, within the jurisdiction of the court, he swore to an affidavit to state that an amount of D850,000 was discovered with one Robert Danquah , a Ghanaian national instead of D1,080,000, which he knew to be false or does not believe to be true.
Count four stated that Alh Foday Barry, between 2010 and 2012, in Banjul and diverse places, within the jurisdiction of the court, with intent to defraud, uttered a false affidavit purposely for the extradition of Mr. Robert Danquah.
Count five alleged that Alh Foday Barry, between 2010 and 2012, in Banjul and diverse places, abused his office by demanding an amount of D200, 000 from Robert Danquah, a Ghanaian, who was suspected to have conspired with the jailed drug dealers, Gazi, Juan Corrols and Sanchez, through one Ousman Drammeh in order to grant him bail.
Count six stated that Alh Foady Barry, between 2010 and 2012 in Banjul and diverse places, with intent to defraud and permanently deprive the owner, stole an amount of D12, 000 and a TOSHIBA laptop belonging to one Ousman Drammeh of Dippa Kunda.