He filed the affidavit before Justice E. Jaiteh of the Banjul High Court, where he is facing charges and trial together with Nadine Ismael de Gouveira Pereira and Mamadu Neto Djabi.
The respondents are the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG), the Director General of DLEAG and the Attorney General.
In the state’s affidavit in opposition filed on 13 June 2024, the applicant Paulo Djabi replied that the depositions the state filed were “all untrue, false and calculated to mislead the court”.
In the state’s claim about Paulo Djabi’s driving a 2024 Range Rover in town, the applicant Paulo Djabi said the claim was “untrue” because the state had not provided any proof of his ownership or the registration number of the said vehicle.
He also stated that it was “mere speculation” to depose to the fact without any proof that he, Paulo Djabi, hosted or paid for a party at the Coco Ocean Hotel or anywhere else.
Mr Djabi explained that his friend who lived abroad and shared the same birthday with him came to The Gambia with his family and hosted a party to which he was invited.
It was false and a complete fabrication, Djabi said, to depose or suggest that he paid for a platinum table at an awards night held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Conference Centre,adding that the state had not provided any proof to show how he paid for the said table.
He further said the State had embarked on a “fishing expedition” against him, and had not found any evidence of money laundering against him, adding that the State had continued to dig, search, and make “fruitless” inquiries which had yielded no results.
“Their desperation for information against me led them to try and get my wife to be a witness against me,” Paulo Djabi indicated.
Counsel for the applicant, lawyer S. Tambadou, argued that “there is no provision” in the Drug Control Act that allows for a restrained order against an applicant unless the applicant is charged with a drug trafficking offence.
Lawyer Tambadou further submitted that the State made a “mere statement of facts without proof”, saying the affidavit in opposition filed by the state were facts that were stated when Justice Jaiteh made an order. He thus urged the court to grant the prayers of the applicant.
However, in the next adjournment date, the state is expected to respond to the application of the applicant, Paulo Djabi.
The case was adjourned till 22 July 2024.
