Nominated N.A. Member Ya-Kumba Jaiteh, charged with assault and obstruction.

 By Amadou Jadama    OCTOBER 27, 2020

The trial of nominated National Member Ya-Kumba Jaiteh, who is charged with assault and obstruction, yesterday proceeded at the Kanifing court before Principal Magistrate Isatou Janneh-Njie with the testimony of the first prosecution witness.

Ya-Kumba Jaiteh is standing trial on two counts bordering on assault and obstruction, while her father Yusupha Jaiteh is charged with one count of obstruction.

Testifying as the first prosecution witness (PW1), Ebrima Fadera, a narcotics officer attached to Serekunda Police Station, said he recognised the accused persons in the dock and recalled an incident involving them on 6 October 2020.

“I was stationed at Serekunda police on that Tuesday and at around 18:35, I left the charge office with my colleagues Baba Njie, Abdoulie A. Jarju, Landing Tamba, Sisawo Nyabally and Lamin Manjang, all drug squad officers. We went on our normal patrol and conducted a search at Queens Bar when we saw a man sitting on a motorbike. We approached him and identified ourselves as narcotics officers after which he attempted to run. We held him and, in the process, a parcel of suspected cannabis fell from his pocket after which I arrested him with a hand cuff,” Fadera told the court.

He revealed that after searching the man, he recovered another suspected parcel of cannabis from his pocket. “At this point, the accused shouted for help and then a group of people came to help him and among them, I came to recognise Ya-Kumba Jaiteh as a member of the National Assembly, and an old man who later became known to me as her father, who was pushing and pulling with us  saying the accused will not be arrested,” Fadera  told the court.

He said even after they identified themselves as narcotics officers, they told them they would not arrest their son. “Ya-Kumba Jaiteh held my neck resulting in injuries at the back of my left ear.  I was then with Abdoulie Jarju, while other officers were searching other areas. At this point, I had shouted for help and my colleagues arrived with a vehicle and helped me get the suspect, Tijan Macaulley on board, while the old man was beating the officers and calling them to leave his son.

When we boarded the suspect in the vehicle, Ya-Kumba Jaiteh was equally dragging the suspect from our vehicle. I could not recognise the others but I recognised Ya-Kumba and the old man,” the witness told the court.

He added that they went to Serekunda station where he was escorted to Kanifing General Hospital for treatment for the injuries he sustained from the scene. “I was later discharged and issued with a prescription form and some medicines,” he said, producing the prescription form which was tendered into evidence.

He said he went back to the hospital on 20 October. “I was issued with a medical certificate and a receipt of D500.”

Cross-examined by Lamin S Camara on how long he has been a narcotics officer, the witness replied three years. The trial continues.

The Standard newspaper

Court interpreter sentenced to death for murder

 By Bruce Asemota

One Sheikh Hydara, a staff of the Gambia Judiciary who works as an interpreter at the Cadi Appeals Court, was recently sentenced to death by Justice Zainab Jawara Alami of the High Court for murder.

According to the court documents, Sheikh Hydara unlawfully caused the death of one Vanisha Faal by beating and strangling her on or about the 30th November, 2017 at Kerr Serigne near Senegambia area.

The prosecution called nine witnesses and tendered four exhibits in proof of the charge against Sheikh Hydara, who testified as the sole defence witness.

The prosecution’s evidence was that the accused person met Vanisha at a night club in Senegambia at about 3am on the 26th November, 2017, they partied, the accused drank alcohol copiously and they finished off at a guest house and that Vanisha was a sex worker and was paid by the accused to have sex for two hours which they did.

Justice Zainab Jawara-Alami in her judgment disclosed that it was obvious that the deceased was with the accused person and she was murdered but the accused failed to give satisfactory explanation of what happened or could have happened to the deceased to cause her death.

Justice Alami pointed out that the accused person was the last person to see Vanisha alive and in such a case, it will be proper for the court to invoke the “doctrine of last seen”.

Justice Alami said the post mortem report indicated that the victim died of Asphyxia due to strangulation.

The trial Judge stated that no one knows what happened in the hotel room the accused took the victim to on the fateful night but evidence shows that the accused person put his hands around the neck of the victim and strangled her to death.

She revealed that the accused person’s conduct after the incident indicated a level of recklessness or impunity in that he managed to dump her in the streets of Manjai and proceeded to go home and continued his day like nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Justice Alami said the accused person’s actions by dumping the corpse and attempting to get one of the witnesses to lie for him as well as his attempts to run from the police when his arrest was effected, were indications of a guilty mind.

The trial judge stated that the court relied on the accused person’s statement, the numerous compelling and equivocal circumstantial evidence, the various witness testimonies and exhibits in the case to find that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and established all the ingredients to the offence of murder against the accused person.

Justice Zainab Jawara-Alami disclosed that Sheikh Hydara was guilty of murder and convicted as charged and was sentenced to death.

The Standard Newspaper

OCTOBER 28, 2020

Police question woman who ‘insulted’ UDP leader

SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

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By Omar Bah

The police spokesperson has confirmed to The Standard that officers at Kairaba Police Station interrogated a woman after the United Democratic Party leader, Ousainu Darboe, lodged a complaint with them about her insulting him.

“We can confirm that the police at Kairaba Station received a report from the UDP leader, Ousainu Darboe, about a lady who was insulting and abusing him in a WhatsApp audio,” Superintendent Lamin Njie told The Standard.

Njie said the police released the lady after questioning her but investigations are ongoing into the matter. He gave no further details.

A lady by the name Fatou Sumareh appeared on online platforms allied to President Adama Barrow’s NPP confirming her questioning by the police over the matter.

Scores arrested over gov’t food distribution in NBR

ThePoint Newspaper
May 11, 2020, 1:07 PM | Article By: Pa Modou Cham

After President Adama Barrow launched his government’s ambitious covid-19 food aid initiative worth D734,25, 864 to help (84% of needy Gambian households), many anticipated transparency and probity in the manner the items would be distributed.

However, an uncalled for attitude has proven itself to be the order of day in the North Bank Region (NBR) during distribution as people tasked to render this sacred job were allegedly involved in dubious activities of selling some of these food items to shopkeepers. Scores of people distributing these items have been arrested and are currently being detained at Ndungo Kebbeh Police Station, a source familiar with the development told The Point. At least three people have been arrested in Ndungo Kebbeh over the matter.

The government intended to distribute 360,000 bags of 50kg of 100% broken rice, 50kg bags of sugar and 10 litre drums of refined cooking oil to needy Gambian citizens across the country, but this project is on the verge of collapse in the NBR as injustice has reared its ugly face in the distribution.

The Point has learned that those tasked to do this distribution in the NBR have decided to do things in their own ways by stealing some of these food items on the Barra-Farafenni Highway.

Our sources from both Jamagen and Ndungo Kebbeh villages have indicated that the suspects distributed 15 bags of rice in Ndungo Kebbeh and 25 in Jamagen village and sold the remaining items at a low cost of D800.

Our sources added that the residents of NBR felt so disgraced and worried and called on the authorities to act fast and make the suspects face a court law.

“They also applauded the government’s great gesture in helping the citizens in these trying times.”

The police spokesperson, ASP Lamin Njie said he was not aware of the arrest at the time of going to the press. “My government recognises that Gambians deserve an urgent national response to both the health and socio-economic crises resulting from losses in productivity and remittances to Gambian households,” Mr. Barrow said as he launched his government’s food aid project.

He added that they will ensure that support provided to all citizens, especially the vulnerable, is real in value.