HePDO responsible for D4M spent on studies- says witness

The accused are Muhammadou Lamin Jaiteh, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, Balla Kandeh, programme manager of the Malaria Control Programme, and Omar Malleh Ceesay, executive director of the Health Promotion and Development Organisation.

They were charged with theft, forgery, economic crime, disobedience of statutory duty, official corruption, and conspiracy to commit felony.

The witness, Corporal Sheriff S. Corr, told the court that it was confirmed that the amount was spent on studies, and HePDO took the responsibility and the money was brought in different amounts.

The witness revealed that the amounts of money was brought in by the second accused, Omar Malleh Ceesay, as he was representing HePDO and his finance director Amadou Badjie, but in some cases his finance director would bring in the amounts alone, adding that some amounts of money were from the two consultants.

During his last testimony, the witness told the court that the four million Dalasi was recovered from HePDO and deposited in the Central Bank treasury account.

Asked how the money was deposited in the Central Bank, the witness said the amount was deposited three different times, and after each deposit was paid in, there used to be a receipt for each amount deposited.

He further disclosed that the original deposit receipts were with the treasury department and they, the investigators, only had copies.

It would be recalled that the witness, Corporal Corr, told the court that he and his team went on a nationwide fact-finding mission in all the regions to confirm whether some of the names in the documents tendered in court were of the people who took part in the studies.

In all the regions they went to, he said, they were able to meet some of the participants, who confirmed to have taken part in the said studies and confirmed to have received the amounts against their names.

The case was adjourned till 26 February 2024.