The abuse-of-office case involving Solo
Bojang proceeded before Magistrate Jagne of the Brikama Magistrates’ Court with
the testimony of defence witness one (DW1).
In his testimony, Badara Tamba, said some time in 2012, the accused called him, saying he received an instruction from the President that they should seize the logs behind the village of Kanilai and those coming through Kanilai.
He said when the accused told him, he asked him how they were going to carry out such a duty and the accused told him he would provide a military truck but before the arrangement he was assigned to do something else.
He added that he then urged his assistant, Modou Sonko, that the accused said the President said they should seize logs that were behind Kanilai and the ones passing through Kanilai.
He said he told his assistant that if they found out that the logs were already in the truck, they should take the driver’s name, number and the truck registration number, as well as the name of the owner of the log, his contact and the amount of the logs loaded.
He said when they did that they called him and he instructed them to write a report about what had happened, and the report was sent to the NIA office.
Under cross-examination, the prosecutor asked the witness where the logs were collected from and the witness said they were collected from behind Kanilai.
He said the only instruction he received from the accused was that he was told the President said they should seize logs.
He said he did not hear there was an embargo on the logs.
“I was told that they were unloaded at the entrance of Wone in Kanilai,” he said, adding that the time he left Kanilai the logs were still there, and that nobody came for them.
“The accused is a senior man in the service, and in service seniority matters. He came and said the President said it; so we have to obey,” he added.
The case was adjourned till 15 April 2014.
In another development, the trial involving Solo Bojang and Anineh Jammeh Tuesday failed to proceed before Magistrate AA Jagne of the Brikama Magistrates’ Court.
When the case was called, the prosecutor informed the court that the 2nd accused, Anineh Jammeh, could not make it to the court due to the fact that the police vehicle that supposed to go for him had a mechanical problem. He said based on that, he was asking for an adjournment.
The case was then adjourned till 15 April 2014.
