The accused Balla Kandeh, Omar Malleh Ceesay, and Muhammed Lamin Jaiteh face a 28-count indictment including charges of official corruption, procurement violations, forgery, theft, obtaining money by false pretences, and economic crimes.
Court documents indicate that the allegations arise from consultancy payments processed between 2018 and 2020 under the Global Fund malaria programme. Investigators say forged documents and misrepresented identities were used to justify the release of funds.
During the prosecution’s case, twelve witnesses testified, including senior Ministry of Health officials, HePDO members, fraud squad investigators, and two key witnesses Muhammed Sissoho and Basirou Phillot whose identities were allegedly used without consent to create fake consultancy profiles.
The prosecution presented extensive documentary evidence, including payment vouchers, forged consultant CVs, memoranda of understanding, bank records, audit extracts, and police statements. Justice Jaiteh described this evidence as forming a “coherent and compelling narrative of alleged misconduct.”
A central issue highlighted in the ruling was the fraudulent use of the names of two witnesses, referred to as Pw4 and Pw5. Justice Jaiteh noted that their identities were used without consent to legitimize payments, describing this as a clear indicator of deliberate deception and coordinated fraud.
He emphasized that the use of fake identities to channel funds was “central to the prosecution’s case.”
Justice Jaiteh explained that at the no-case stage, the court must view the prosecution’s evidence at its highest to determine whether a prima facie case exists.
After reviewing each category of charges, he concluded that the prosecution had provided sufficient evidence, both documentary and testimonial, for the matter to proceed.
Regarding individual responsibility, the judge found that while evidence against first accused Balla Kandeh was largely circumstantial, it was adequate to require a defence.
The case against Omar Malleh Ceesay was described as the strongest, particularly due to testimony that he personally submitted a forged consultant CV to the Contracts Committee. For Muhammed Lamin Jaiteh, the approval of payments combined with his own police statement was deemed sufficient to infer knowledge of and involvement in the alleged fraudulent scheme.
In dismissing the no-case submissions, Justice Jaiteh ruled that the prosecution had met the legal threshold for all 28 counts, ordering Kandeh, Ceesay, and Jaiteh to open their defence.
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