By: Fabakary B. Ceesay
Police prosecutors in the trial of interdicted Police Chief Superintendent Muhammed kanteh has on Tuesday 8th September 2020, called their last witness and closed the case against the defendant.
Kanteh, a onetime Director of Intelligence at State House is standing trial at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court for official negligence during the course of the ‘3 years Jotna’ protest when he was the Operations Commander of the West Coast Region.
The sixth prosecution witness was Momodou Lamin Jallow, a serious crime Police officer stationed at Brikama.
In his testimony, which was not challenged by the team of lawyers defending the accused person, said on 27th January 2020, whiles he was at the Brikama Police Station, he was instructed by Divisional Crime officer Lamin Cham to accompany him to Denton Bridge Police Station.
ML Jallow adduced that upon arrival at the station, they found Kanteh in a cell and he was asked to obtain a cautionary statement from him (Kanteh).
Officer Jallow told the Court that whiles he introduced his mission to the accused person, his superior officer Commissioner Fakebba Darboe went to get an independent witness named Lamin Jassey.
At this point, Prosecutor E.S. Sarr asked the witness to re-confirm the name of the independent witness and the witness repeated the same name. Prosecutor Sarr attempted for the third time for the ML Jallow to recall the name of the independent witness, but was pause by Magistrate P.A. Che who intervened that the witness has confidently repeated the same name twice and need not to repeat it again.
Testifying further, ML. Jallow said he cautioned the accused person in English language which the accused said he understood. He said both the accused and independent witness signed, adding that the accused narrated his own story whiles he (Jallow) recorded it. He said he read out the statement to the accused in English and he(accused) confirmed the content as his statement.
Crime officer Jallow recognised the said statement bearing his personal details and hand writing. The said statement was tendered and admitted as evidence without any objection from the defence team. There was no cross examination.
At this junction, Prosecutor Sarr informed the Court about the closure of their case.