The case involving four senior prison officers yesterday proceeded at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court with the testimony of the ninth prosecution witness.
Solo Manga, Babucarr Badjie, Bakary Jammeh and Abdoulie Bojang are being tried for taking prohibited articles into the prison.
Testifying, Musa Ndure of the NDEA told the court that he is with the investigation unit of the NDEA, and that he recognized the accused persons.
He said he was assigned by the agency’s director of investigations to search the house of the second accused person, Solo Manga, and during the search discovered some phones.
He said he discovered an Africell SIM card with the number 7130652.
PW9 further testified that when the phones were recovered, they were sent to Africell for examination, and it was indicated to them that the number was calling from Mile II Central Prison used by one Osseh Corr.
According to him, the said Corr used it to call his daughter, Ida Corr.
The NDEA agent further explained that the cell phone he recovered from Manga’s house was marked Samsung, and the model number was SGH-1550.
The said phone was later tendered and admitted as an exhibit.
Under cross-examination, Ndure testified that the phones were recovered in the residence of the 2nd accused person at Mile II.
“Where was the SIM card found,” the defence counsel further asked?
“At the Prison,” responded PW9.
He added that the SIM card was not found inside the phone.
At that juncture, counsel put it to the witness that he did not know who took the SIM card inside the prison and the witness said, “I did not know.”
Asked by counsel about the printout he mentioned, the witness said it was supposed to be in the case file.
Responding to another question asked by counsel, the witness revealed to the court that the director of investigations probed by looking at the printouts, adding that he was the head of the investigation.
“Do you know on whose name the SIM card was registered?” asked counsel
“I don’t know,” responded the NDEA operative.
At this juncture the matter was adjourned till 4 April 2012, for continuation of the hearing.
