NDEA exhibits keeper testifies in Bun and Co Trial

Alieu Jassey, the exhibits keeper at the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA), yesterday testified in the ongoing trial of Ibrahim Bun Sanneh and four others at the High Court in Banjul before Justice Emmanuel Amadi.

Ibrahim Bun Sanneh former NDEA Executive Director, Karamo Bojang former Deputy Chief of the agency, Ousman Sanneh the agency's former Commissioner of Operations, Seedou Bojang, the agency's accountant, and one Marie Sanneh, were indicted under a 30-count charge.

The alleged offences include conspiracy to commit felony, stealing by person in public service, aiding and abetting, unlawful possession of fire arm, unlawful possession of live ammunitions, concealment and destroying of evidence, official corruption, abuse of office and committing economic crimes, obtaining money by false pretence, making document without authority, among others.

Alieu Jassey, the thirteenth prosecution witness, told the court that he is the exhibits keeper at the NDEA, and he knew all the accused persons, as he was working under them.

"On 29 April 2009, I was sent together with my boss, Sanna Jallow, by Commissioner Bojang, the 2nd accused person, to the Banjul Magistrates' Court to collect the drug exhibits the court was finished with. We went to the registrar of the Banjul Magistrates' Court, Amadou Hydara, and explained our mission to him and he also invited Ali, and we went to the exhibits store and brought out an exhibit which was supposed to be cocaine," he told the court.

"We took the exhibits to the 2nd accused, who received them and said these were not the exhibits sent to the court, and asked us to take them back and collect the one which belongs to Precious," the witness told the court.

He further adduced that they went back to Hydara, and collected another exhibit which was in a form of pallets and counted them.

The witness told the court that he observed that the exhibit was tampered with, and he refused to take it, adding that he then asked the court registrar to go with them to their NDEA authorities.

The witness told the court that, when they arrived at the office of the 2nd accused person, the 2nd accused poured the contents of the bag on the floor, and told them that this was tampered with. He told commissioner Sarr to look at the pallets, and said they were not the exhibits sent to the court.

"The 2nd accused then called Commissioner Sarr, Commissoiner Njie and Commissioner Sanneh to his office, and explained the matter to them, adding that I was again asked to go and called the two court officials," PW13 told the court.

"I called Ali and Hydara to the office of the 2nd accused, and in the presence of the four commissioners and Ali and Hydara, they were asked whether these were the exhibits that were sent to the court, and they said they do not know," he added.

"We all went to the office of the 1st accused, where the 2nd accused asked Ali and Hydara whether these were the exhibits given to the witness and Superintendent Sanna Jallow, and they said ‘yes", he continued.

The 1st accused, the witness went on, then admonished them, and asked them who must have tampered the exhibits, to which Ali and Hydara said they do not know.

He further told the court that the 1st accused at that juncture decided that the matter be left to rest like that, and that nobody should voice it out.

He stated that the three commissioners, Superintendent Jallow and he (PW13) went to the magistrate and explained the matter to him, and the magistrate said, left to him alone, the matter would be investigated.

The hearing continues today.