Gambia: Ensa Badjie asked PW1 to leave – witness tells court
By Own Correspondent – Dodou Janneh, alias Dou Boy, the nineth prosecution witness in the robbery trial against former police chief Ensa Badjie and Ali Ceesay, superintendent of prisons, yesterday told the special criminal court that he heard Ensa Badjie tell Soriba Condeh, over the phone, to leave his house, as the arresting team was coming for him.
Janneh, whose evidence was interposed to allow him recover from ill health, continued his testimony in the trial before Justice Ikpala. He said: “When Ensa Badjie noticed that Amadou Jallow, one of the prosecution witnesses, was arrested by the taskforce, he called Soriba Condeh, the first prosecution witness in the case”.
“As there was noise in the office, I went out to receive a call and, as I was going out, I heard him (Ensa Badjie) over the phone asking PW1 (Soriba Condeh), “where are you?” “The 1st accused then told PW1 to leave his home as the arresting team was coming for him,” PW9 told the court, adding that the taskforce also arrested Ebrima Suma.
The ninth prosecution witness (PW9) also adduced that Landing Bojang (PW10) was the head of the task force, and that he (PW9) was also a member. “When the 1st accused noticed that I was present, where he was making the call to PW1, he asked me what I was doing at that spot, and I told him that I was receiving a call,” Janneh further stated.
“He then advised me not to tell anybody about anything, and the distance was just two and half metres,” the convicted witness told the court. He said the 1st accused also reminded him that he was not a full police officer, but a volunteer, adducing that the 1st accused was the divisional commander of the CID.
“The taskforce members then boarded the vehicle for the arrest of PW1, but I remained seated where I was waiting for my name, and Landing Bojang (PW10) noticed that I was seating after the command,” he added. “Then I boarded the vehicle to the compound of PW1, but we could not find him,” he added. PW9 further adduced that it was Landing Bojang (PW10) who finally arrested Soriba Condeh (PW1), through a woman, adding that he did not talk to PW1 when he was arrested, but saw him.
At that juncture, defence counsel Borry Touray applied for an adjournment to enable him cross-examine the witness. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Richard N. Chenge, who led a team of state prosecutors, did not object. Justice Ikpala granted the defence counsel’s application, and adjourned the case to 4th November 2010.
The former police boss, Ensa Badjie, and superintendent of prison Ali Ceesay, were arraigned at the special criminal court after being indicted on different counts, including conspiracy to commit a felony, robbery with violence, receiving stolen property, aiding and abetting, robbery, conspiracy to commit misdemeanour, aiding prisoner to escape, official corruption, conspiracy to defeat justice and interference with witnesses, deceiving witnesses, offences relating to judicial proceeding, and using criminal charms, among others.
