‘Jesus’ says he never financed criminal operations

Badjie AKA 'Jesus'

The embattled erstwhile Inspector General of Police Ensa Badjie has denied finance criminal operations when he testified in his alleged robbery trial on March 4, 2011 before Justice Joseph Enwa Ikpala of the Special Criminal Division of the Banjul High Court.

Badjie was being guided by his counsel Borry S. Touray and when he was asked whether he financed any criminal operations, Badjie replied that he has never ever financed any criminal operation in his life and did not facilitate any act of robbery by purchasing housebreaking tools.

Badjie is alleged to have received D500, 000; D57, 000; D12, 000 worth of Scratch Cards and £12, 000 from Soriba Conteh, the 1^st prosecution witness, however, he also denied these allegations.

He told the court that he had never received monies as an act of bribery during his tenure as Inspector General of Police and had never aided the escape of any prisoner, while noting that Soriba’s escape from prison did not happened in his division.

On interfering with witnesses, Badjie said he did not interfere with any witness for the purpose of defeating justice. He said after the suspects were arrested, taken to court and convicted by the Kanifing Magistrate Court, he was promoted to Crime Management Coordinator.

He said this was the time these allegations were made against him, however, he said a month later promoted (skipping three ranks) to the rank of Commissioner, while maintaining that he has never being involved in any criminal activities or receive stolen properties  from Soriba and others.

He said initial investigations revealed the allegations against him was false, after which he was sent to Ethiopia to attend a Border Demarcation Conference and while he was away, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA)  reinvestigated the matter and again the allegations was found to be false.

He said upon arrival from Ethiopia, he was called to the office of the then Inspector General of Police Benedict Jammeh with Soriba Conteh and Tony Yaya Babu in the presence of Commissioner Mamour Jobe, Commissioner Ousman Gibba and the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Langtombong Tamba, and Bruma Dibba, the then Crime Management Coordinator ( CMC ).

In this meeting, he said the 3^rd prosecution witness Yaya Tony Babu denies seeing him (Badjie) with Soriba (PW1), and then Commissioner Mamour Jobe said the matter should now be concluded because he personally investigated the mater and he found nothing against him (Badjie).

Still on his defence, Badjie said after 10 months, while he was a Police Commissioner at Brikama, EIG Edward Sambou, a Police Adviser and FRI Jammeh met him in his office at Yundum Police Station and informed him that Soriba and Yaya Tony Babu have escaped while on their way to Mile II (the State’s Central Prison) and they urged him to help them re-arrest them.

Badjie said he contacted all his check points and dispatch a team on the ground and he and his team effected the arrest of Soriba Conteh around Brikama Kitty and he personally handed him over to the Deputy Inspector General of Police Modou Gaye and Commissioner Edward Sambou.

He also said he and the 2^nd accused, Chief Superintendent Ali Ceesay are not related and he only came to know him in court. He also said he was arrested on March 2, 2010 without caution or taken to a court of Law and on March 7, 2010, he said he was taken to the NIA Headquarters where he was hand cuffed and put before a panel of investigators.

The case continues on 18^th April, 2011. The Director of Public Prosecution Mikailu Abdullah represented the State. Source – The Voice Newspaper