Mbye Conteh, a resident of Bundung and a cadet officer of The Gambia Police Force (GPF), currently attached to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), stated that the SIU is responsible for investigating all criminal matters.
When asked whether he recognised the accused person, the witness responded affirmatively, adding: “I recognise the accused in relation to a panel that was set up by the GPF in connection with his utterances during an interview.”
Further asked whether he remembered the interview conducted by West Coast Radio with the accused, Mbye replied in the positive, adding: “I was part of the panel that investigated the matter.”
“The panel was formed and tasked with investigating the accused in respect of the interview he had with Peter Gomez. We were trying to question the accused regarding some of the utterances he made during the course of the interview.”
“The accused stated during the interview that he was among those who participated in burning the APRC bureau. So, we questioned him on that because we needed clarification.”
“We were trying to confirm that it was indeed the accused who made those statements during the interview. Therefore, when we set up the panel, we asked him how the interview came about.”
“With the help of Commissioner Jawara, we the panel contacted Peter Gomez and asked him about the origin of the interview. Peter made it very clear that he was not the one who arranged it. Rather, it was Sanyang who took it upon himself to come to the Coffee Time programme on West Coast Radio to be interviewed, because he wanted to speak to his fellow Gambians.”
“Peter clarified that some of the matters discussed during the panel were not part of the original agreement. He said that, as a patriotic citizen, Sanyang wanted to address fellow Gambians on issues affecting the country and how things were progressing.”
“Peter told us that during the interview, when Abdoulie began mentioning certain things, he felt uncomfortable. As a result, Peter tried to steer him back on track. In fact, Peter told him at the end of the programme that he might be arrested.”
The witness said they took a statement from Peter Gomez and also obtained a copy of the original video footage, which was saved on a flash drive and presented to them by Peter Gomez.
