A supposed marabout, alleged to have received D100,000 from a female banker to offer prayer for her to be successful in life, recently opened his defence before Magistrate George of the Kanifing Magistrates' Court.
In his testimony, the accused, Muhtarr Cham, told the court that he met the complainant, Yasanu Jobe (a banker), at the Serrekunda Mosque where they greeted each other.
He said the complainant asked him to show her where he lived and he said he lived in Tallinding.
Cham further adduced that the complainant asked him of his occupation and he said he was a marabout.
"The complainant asked me about my telephone number and she gave me two telephone numbers," he told the court.
He narrated that the complainant told him that she had a business and after her official work, she would phone him.
"I advised her to take out some cola nuts as charity and I told her that it would cost her D50," he testified, saying that the complainant gave him D50 which he used to buy the cola nuts for the charity.
He said few days later, he phoned the complainant and they arranged for a place to meet at the Tallinding market, from where they took off to go to his residence.
"On our arrival, the complainant asked me to do some marabout work for her and to pray for her to be successful," he asserted.
He added that the complainant told him that she wanted to go to
He said he asked the complainant to pay him D70,000 for the job, and that he had been giving her some spiritual water to drink and to bathe with.
"One day, she asked me to meet her at the Ahmadiyya Mosque, where I was arrested by two young men who accompanied her, and who accused me of making a fool of the complainant," he testified.
Cham adduced further that the two men took him to a place in Tallinding and phoned the police at Serrekunda, who later came and took him to the CID office at the Serrekunda Police Station and tortured him.
He said the complainant accused him of taking D100,000 from her but he denied the accusation. "The police continued to torture me and went with me to my house and found a suitcase which I bought for my sister's wedding," he said.
He added that the police accused him of using the suitcase to make a fool of the complainant, while they continued to torture him to accept the allegation.
He said he later informed one of his relatives to bring some money for him to pay, and the relative came with D6,500, which he paid to the police.
During cross-examination by CPL 3560 Colley, the accused told the court that he was not feeling well and could not stand further.
The presiding magistrate then asked him to sit on one of the benches to continue his testimony. The accused walked out of the witness box and lay on the bench.
At that juncture the case was adjourned.