The office-breaking and stealing case involving 14 prison officers attached to Old Jeshwang Prisons Camp continued yesterday at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court before Principal Magistrate Tabally.
It continued with the testimony of one Lamin Jallow, a CID officer attached to Serrekunda Police Station.
Officer Jallow told the court that he recognised the accused persons and could recall what happened on 13 April 2012, when he was assigned to head a panel of investigators to investigate a case of office-breaking and stealing at the Old Jeshwang Prisons Camp.
The panel comprised Sub-Inspector Musa Bojang, detective Sub-Inspector Lamin Naso, Buba Sanyang, Sgt Bakary Krubally and Gibril Colley, and they visited the scene of the break-in together with the Scientific Support Unit led by Commissioner Njie.
On arrival at the scene, he went on, they were able to notice that the office window occupied by Superintendent Modou Barrow was tampered with by removing the louvre glass.
The scientific support officer lifted the fingerprints from one of the windows, which was taken for verification, he said.
Further testifying, officer Jallow adduced that during the investigation, Superintendent Modou Barrow was invited together with the accused persons for questioning at the Serrekunda CID office.
Barrow being the occupant of that office was confronted to know whether at any point in time he had tampered with the said glass before or after the incident, and he responded that he did not enter the office before or after the incident.
He added that the fingerprint was taken by the CRO for verification and a report was issued to him that identified with the left thumbprint of Modou Barrow, adding that the other accused persons were later interviewed by the panel, and they said they were on duty on that particular date, but could not notice any break-in.
Officer Jallow added that he instructed the panelists to obtain statements from the accused persons and their fingerprints indicated that there was actual break-in and that all the accused persons were on duty.
A metal safe was tampered with and a fingerprint was identified to be the fingerprint of the 1st accused person, he stated.
The case was then adjourned to 30 January 2013.
