According to Tine, he went to a money transfer bureau that day to send money to his brother, Mbaye Tine, in Dakar, Senegal, via Wave. He said a woman inside told him she did not handle Wave transfers to Senegal but a colleague did. Tine testified that he handed her the money and his brother’s number, then waited to confirm receipt.
While discussing the transaction, Tine said three men entered the bureau. One stood to his right, another to his left, and a third at the entrance. He told the court the man on his right asked about Small World transfers. When the woman said she was attending to Tine first, the man pleaded for priority due to an urgent engagement. Tine said he agreed to wait.
He testified that while checking the time on his wristwatch after another man asked for it, he was struck above the eyebrow with a heavy object. “The blow was so heavy that I could not know whether it was a stone or something else,” he said. He added that he collapsed and lost consciousness.
Tine told the court that when he regained consciousness, he saw the woman run outside and fall to the ground. He said he then heard people shouting that someone had been stabbed and noticed a knife on the floor near her. As a crowd gathered and threatened to kill him, Tine said he picked up the knife and warned that he would kill himself before they did. He testified that he placed it against his throat, injuring himself, and the sight of blood caused the crowd to retreat.
He said he later woke up at Ndemban Clinic, where Police Intervention Unit officers and doctors were attending to him. He was subsequently transferred to a Banjul hospital and then to the Serekunda Police Station. He told the court he had D110,000 in a bag when he entered the bureau, but a CID officer, who presented the bag at the clinic, told him no money was found inside.
Swearing on the Holy Quran, Tine denied stabbing Kargbo. “I have sworn on the Holy Quran. I did not touch Fatoumata Kargbo, and we were not even close,” he said.
He stated that January 19, 2024 was the first time he had ever seen her or entered that bureau.
The accused, a Senegalese national who has lived and worked in The Gambia since 2013, told the court he had undertaken electrical work for the American Embassy, World Bank, GRA, and several hotels without incident. He said he knew the bureau owner, Pateh Jallow, and that the two often drank attaya and traveled to Senegal together. He added that he still has scars on his wrist from the incident and said the accusations had caused him immense pain.
During cross-examination, State Counsel A. Gibba questioned Tine about his earlier statement that he had never been to the bureau, to which Tine clarified that January 19, 2024, was simply the first time he had ever entered it.
The matter was adjourned until July 1, 2026.
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