A prosecution witness was yesterday cross-examined in the criminal trial involving Ibrahim Bun Sanneh and four others at the high court in
Ibrahim Bun Sanneh, former NDEA Executive Director, Karamo Bojang, former Deputy Chief of the Agency, Ousman Sanneh, former Commissioner of Operations of the agency, Seedou Bojang, the agency’s accountant, and one Marie Sanneh, were indicted by state prosecutors under a 30-count charge.
The alleged offences include conspiracy to commit felony, stealing by person in public service, aiding and abetting, unlawful possession of firearm, unlawful possession of live ammunitions, concealment and destroying of evidence, official corruption, abuse of office and committing economic crimes, obtaining money by false pretence, and making document without authority, among others.
The opening highlight of the cross-examination of prosecution witness number fifteen, Pateh Jallow, was the application made by the senior defence counsel Pap Cheyassin Secka to tender the witness’s statement he made on 29 April 2010.
According to defence counsel Secka, there were material contradictions between the evidence adduced in court and the statement.
However, the deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, S. H. Barkun, objected to the tendering of the said statement on the grounds that the application “lacks” merit.
He added that the Evidence Act had not been complied with, and there were no contradictions between the statement and the evidence adduced in court.
The trial judge overruled the objection raised by the prosecutor, and admitted the statement tendered as a defence exhibit.
Pateh Jallow testified under cross-examination, and told the court that the second accused, Karamo Bojang, had interfered in the prosecution of Maymuna Jallow because he interrupted the investigation.
He said Karamo Bojang had further instructed that Ousman Jatta should not be arrested, and his wife should be released from custody.
PW15 further adduced that he insisted against that instruction, adding that after the arrest of PW2 and his wife, Maymuna Jallow, the 2nd accused told him that he was instructed to tell him.
“I later realised that the 2nd accused was not instructed, because the director called him (Pateh) and congratulated him.
The defence counsel then put it to him that the only reason the 2nd accused instructed him to releas Maymuna Jallow was that she was pregnant, but nothing was found on her.
However, the witness in his reply said that was not true.
The case continues today.
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