Station Officer, OC NDEA trial resumes

The trial of Jerreh Jarju, officer commanding the NDEA office in the West Coast Region, and Samba Camara, the station officer at Sibanor Police Station, on Monday resumed at the Brikama Magistrates' Court before Magistrate Babucarr Secka.

The two accused persons are being tried on charges of official corruption, public officer receiving property to show favour, abuse of office and conspiracy to commit misdemeanour

Testifying under cross examination, the fifth prosecution witness, Buba Jarju, told the court that he is the son of Nabi Jarju, who was arrested with the cannabis, and that he vowed he would to do everything possible to make his father, Nabi Jarju, to be freed.

The witness told the court that he went to the first accused,  Jerreh Jarju, to discuss  for him to be paid money for his father to be released from the police station, and that the first accused refused to discuss with him, saying he the (witness) is too small to discuss with.

Defence counsel, Kebba Sanyang, then told the witness that, in his evidence in-chief, he said the accused person refused to discuss with him, when he went there, and now in cross-examination he said he discussed with the accused for him to pay the D12,000 and asked which of these two statements was true.

In reply, the witness said he went to the first accused person to discuss, but the first accused refused to discuss with him.

He further informed the court that he was present when Baba Badjie was giving the money to the first accused, but was not present when the first accused person was returning the D12,000 to Baba Badjie .

The witness told the court that he is 27 years old.

When asked by counsel how many kilos of cannabis were caught with his father, he said he does not know, adding that his father was never charged nor was he prosecuted.

Asked by counsel why his father was not prosecuted, the witness said he does not know.

Counsel further told him that he came to court to lie against the two accused persons, but the witness maintained that all what he said in court was the truth.

At that juncture, the case was adjourned to 21 April 2011.