Samba
Mballow, second prosecution witness, on 30 March 2015 testified before
Magistrate Tabally of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court, in the case involving
Haddy Jatta, Kabiro Darboe and Momodou Secka ( bankers) who were charged with
conspiracy, stealing and fraudulent false accounting.
In his testimony, he told the court that he lives at Mariama Kunda and is a foreign exchange dealer working for the complainant.
He said he could recognize the accused persons and could also remember what happened on 28 October 2013.
Mr Mballow adduced that on 28 October 2013, his boss, the complainant, told him to take some money to BSIC bank, while he was at work, adding that he was asked to take the money to Haddy Jatta, the first accused.
He said the amount of money was US$68,969.
He further stated that when he arrived at the bank hall, he called Haddy and told her that he had come with the money his boss asked him to surrender to her, adding that Haddy asked him to sit and wait, and that she would send someone to meet him.
After he waited for a while, Kabiro Darboe, the second accused, met him at the bank hall.
He said Darboe asked him to go to the vault room cashier, who was the person to receive the money from him.
When he entered the vault cash room, he proceeded to Momodou Secka, the third accused, and handed the money to him, and Momodou counted the money with the machine.
After Secka counted the money, he asked him (Mballow) to go back and sit at the bank hall, and told him that he would talk to Haddy.
While he was waiting, the complainant called him and told him he had spoken to Haddy, who phoned him and told him that they did not have cash in dalasis.
He said the complainant told him that Haddy had asked him (the complainant) which bank the money should be sent to, adding that the complainant also told him that he had confirmed with Ecobank that he (the complainant) could receive the money.
The complainant then told him (Mballow) to go and give Haddy his account number and the account name at Ecobank, adding that after he gave Haddy the account details, she asked him to sit for a while, and that she would tell him where to receive the money.
Haddy later phoned him (Mballow) and told him that the money had been transferred to Ecobank, and told him to receive it there.
Before he left for Ecobank, he (Mballow) contacted one Pa Modou at Ecobank and asked him to confirm whether the money was paid into the account of the complainant.
Pa Modou asked him to go back to BSIC bank and ask them to give him (Mballow) an RTGS to confirm that the money had been paid, so that Pa Modou could go through it, because the process takes time.
When he went back to BSIC bank, he met with Kabiro who handed him the RTGS, which he took to Ecobank.
Asked whether he could identify the said RTGS, he answered in the positive. It was shown to him and he identified it.
He told the court that at Ecobank, Pa Modou told him that he could not receive the money because it was deposited into somebody’s account.
He said Pa Modou then told him he would issue him a withdrawal slip to take it to the complainant to sign, and take it back to Pa Modou.
Pa Modou then gave him a withdrawal slip and he took it to the complainant who signed it, adding that he took it back to Pa Modou, who told him the money was received.
Mr Mballow said an officer at the Enquiries filled the slip and he, the witness, handed it to Pa Modou, who gave him D2,707,033.25.
He then confirmed the amount, put it into a bag, took it to the complainant and handed it over to him, and the complainant confirmed it.
Six months after the transaction, one day the complainant sent him to Skye Bank where he was up to 5 pm.
He then received a call from the complainant, who asked him whether he could remember what happened on 28 October 2013, when they sold dollars to BSIC bank.
He told the complainant that he could remember what transpired. The complainant then told him that Haddy Jatta was calling him since in the morning, to tell him that her colleagues at the bank did not see the dollars after they did their reconciliation.
Mr Mballow further stated that he went to meet the complainant at BSIC bank at 6 pm, adding that they were all confronted and he told the bank what he knew about the case.
There was a push and pull, he told the court, adding that the general manager told him that he, the witness, had brought the $68,969 to the bank but they wanted to know who was in possession of the money.
The case was adjourned to 13 April 2015.
