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| Former Gambia police boss, Ensa Badjie has been on trial since 2010 |
The three have since
denied 51-counts indictment that include “drug trafficking”, “abuse of
office”, and “official corruption” since 2010.
Hadi Saleh Barkun,
prosecuting, urged the court to convict all the accused persons on all charges
pressed against them based on the evidence adduced in court.
Director of Public
Prosecution, DPP, argued he has proof his case beyond reasonable doubt in line
with the criminal code and the law of evidence.
He said the prosecution
intend to rely on the evidences of first prosecution witness Sillaba Samateh,
and other witnesses (Abraham Williams, Amadou Samba).
Defence
Borry Touray, defending,
argued that the prosecution has failed to proof the charges against the accused
persons and therefore urged the court to discharge and acquit them.
The counsel for the 1st
accused Ensa Badjie and the 2nd accused Mamatarr Secka said the
amended counts relating to sedition - showed no evidence of sedition.
“There is need for
corroboration of the evidence of the prosecution before the accused persons
could be convicted of the charge,” he said.
Lamin K. Mboge, defending
the 3rd accused person Kuluteh Manneh, argued that his client is
innocent.
“My lord, I wish to first
of all start my submission by expressing the innocence of all the accused
persons,” he announced to the criminal court.
Counts 1 to 16 relate to
all the accused persons and there was no witness who spoke about the third accused
Kuluteh Manneh, he observed.
None of them talked about
the third accused receiving even a single butut (Gambia’s lowest currency
denomination) from anyone and the burden of proof lies on the prosecution to
proof that evidence against the accused person, Mboge argued.
He reiterated the need
for the court to acquit the accused persons of all charges and discharge them
accordingly.
He argued that Sillaba
Samateh did not give any evidence against the accused persons, he was not
cross-examined and the need to have his evidence expunged from the record.
He said his client
Kuluteh Manneh was truthful and in such a situation the court has no option
than to discharge and acquit him.
Mboge also argued that
the prosecution’s evidence showed that witness Sillaba Samateh is a liar, a
fraud and dishonest witness, and the root of the case.
All the prosecution
witnesses denied receiving drug or drugs from him (Samateh), he added.
“I therefore renewed the
called for the court to acquit and discharge all the accused persons,” he
demanded.
Meanwhile, Justice
Emmanuel Nkea, presiding, is set to deliver judgement on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013.
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Written by Modou S. Joof
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