A senior
police officer yesterday testified in the trial of the former director-general
of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA), Benedict Jammeh, and others, at
the Banjul high court before Justice Mikalou Abdoulah.
The other accused persons are the former agency’s PRO, Abdoulie Ceesay, former commissioner of administration, Yusupha Jatta, and the former director of intelligence and investigation, Foday Barry.
They are being tried under a 21-count criminal charge, which included economic crime, giving false information, fabricating evidence, abuse of office, negligence of official duty, theft, among others.
Superintendent Sainey Joof of the police prosecution department at police headquarters in Banjul, said he knew all the accused persons.
He added that on 29 December 2010, he saw Benedict Jammeh and Abdoulie Ceesay at police headquarters in Banjul, and was called by commissioner Kinteh, the commander of the prosecution department, who instructed him to file a charge sheet at the Banjul magistrates’ court against one Abdourahman Touray, and to seek a bench warrant against him. Designated as the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), Superintendent Joof told the court that he with PRO Ceesay went to the Banjul magistrate court to execute the charge before magistrate Emmanuel Nkea, who was the trial magistrate, and that he (Joof) represented the IGP.
He said he then applied for a bench warrant against Abdourahman Touray, and the court issued the order and Ceesay obtained the warrant for Touray’s arrest.
Asked by the DPP whether he could identify the said charge sheet and the order, and he answered in the affirmative, and identified both documents.
The defence counsel, Kebba Sanyang, did not object to their tendering, and they were admitted in evidence as exhibits.
Sainey Joof said his involvement was to assist Ceesay to acquire a bench warrant against Abdourahman Touray, who was at large and was wanted at the NDEA in respect of the charge against him. Under crossed-examination by defence counsel Kebba Sanyang, the witness added that Ceesay came to the police headquarters on behalf of the NDEA, and that he did not personally know Ceesay.
He also told the court that he has worked for the police for at least 15 years.
The case continues on 8 April 2014.
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