NDEA No. 2 testifies in court

Pateh Jallow, the Deputy Director of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA) recently testified in the trial of one Stenphern Oluctach, who is charged with official corruption, before Principal Magistrate Emmanuel Nkea of Banjul Magistrates' Court.

Testifying for the prosecution, Mr. Jallow told the court that the accused person, sometime in the month of April 2010, came to his office pleading with him to forgive one of his brothers, who was apprehended with suspected drugs. Stenphern Oluctach, he said, wanted his brother not to be taken to court, but he (Jallow) told the accused that he couldn't do anything about it.

Mr. Jallow further testified that, a few days later, the accused returned to his office and found him with his juniors, and told him that he came for what he had told him before.

"The accused pulled out D5000 and asked me to buy fuel," Officer Jallow told the court.

"I immediately ordered my juniors to effect his arrest, and took him to Banjul station," he told the court.

Under cross-examination, defence counsel Uzomueze put it to Mr. Jallow that the D5000 was for gratis and not bribery. In reply, Mr. Jallow said it is not gratis, but official bribery.

When further quizzed by defence counsel, as to who was present at the time when the accused pulled out the D5000, he said it's his secretary and a few other people.

At that juncture, the prosecuting officer, Cadet Inspector Sulayman Sanyang, applied to tender the said D5000 as an exhibit, but this was objected to by the defense counsel, Uzomueze, on the basis that the prosecution cannot tender the said money without laying a proper foundation.

The presiding magistrate ruled that the exhibit could only be tendered through the exhibit keeper.

According to the particulars of offence, on 6 April 2010 the accused gave D5000 to Pateh Jallow, the Deputy Director of NDEA, in order for his brother to go free from justice.

The case was adjourned to 29 April 2010.