Professor Muhammed O. Kah, Vice Chancellor of the University of The Gambia, UTG, yesterday ended his testimony under cross-examination in the ongoing trial involving Alhagie Gumbo Ali Touray at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court before Principal Magistrate Alagbe Ade Taiwo.
Touray, former Director of International Affairs at the UTG is being tried for the offence of giving false information to a public officer.
Testifying under cross-examination, Prof Kah told the court that he knew one Mr Kojo as an employee of the UTG, but denied that he had ever been a classmate of Kojo, the financial director at the UTG, but knew him as a teacher after graduating in their respective universities.
When told that Mr. Kojo was interviewed via telephone, that this was not proper and that Kojo was his close friend, Professor Kah told the court that he was not surprised that Mr. Kojo was interviewed via telephone, because UTG has multiple interview systems for any staff to their faculties depending on where the candidate resides.
Prof Kah added that what matters at the Universities was merit, and that he recruited Mr. Kojo at the UTG to become an employee of the UTG.
Responding to questions by defence counsel as to whether the 10 copies of the journals he produced before the court were authored by him, Kah told the court that he did not author any of the journals before the court, but a co-author of the 10 journals tendered in court.
Asked how he became a qualified and a full professor without authoring 12 pure review journals but merely as a co-author, Kah told the court that he is a qualified professor as stated in his CV.
He described as an opinion, suggestions that the Nigerian government did not recommend his American universities.
When it was put to him that his certificate of professorship was then a false one or it had been given to him by individuals, and not the university as an institution, Kah replied that this was not true and was just an opinion.
The case was adjourned to 5th July 2012, for hearing.
