The current permanent secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum, Fafa Sanyang, yesterday ended his testimony under cross-examination in the trial involving the former permanent secretary at the ministry of Petroleum, Muntaga Sallah, at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court before principal Magistrate MS Jallow.
Testifying under cross-examination, the witness told the court the overall head at the ministry and the commissioner is under the permanent secretary.
PS Sanyang further said he had made a statement at the NIA regarding the case.
He testified that he received a memo from former PS Sallah regarding the purchase of the said three computers, but he did not reply to the memo from the former PS.
He could not ascertain whether his colleagues also replied, adding that he has the memo at the office.
He acknowledged that former PS Sallah wrote justifying the reasons for the memo.
PS Sanyang also told the court the ministry required trainers both outside and within the country for training, adding that the training did not have a specific period it could be weeks, months or a year.
He recalled that during the time of the accused as the PS, training had been held at the ministry on computer skills, but could not recall the exact month when it was conducted.
He further testified that Camac Gambia Limited purchased the three work stations, after a proposal was made by the accused.
The case was adjourned until October 12.
The charge sheet presented in court in count one stated that Muntaga Sallah, sometime in November 2014 whilst serving as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum, instructed without approval from the Minister of Petroleum at the time, the purchase of three computers marked HP to the tune of $25,400.45, which he later stole and took to his home in Senegambia.
Count two stated that Muntaga Sallah, sometime in November 2014 whilst serving as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum, stole three computers marked HP to the tune of $25,400.45 belonging to The Gambia government.
