By Mamadou Dem
Magistrate Nyima Samateh of the Banjul Magistrates’ Court, yesterday 
2nd October, ordered the state to produce the defence with a statement made by Mr. Dawda Fadera against Dr. Njogu Bah, erstwhile Secretary General, Head of the Civil Service and Presidential Affairs Minister.
When the case resumed yesterday for continuation of cross-examination, state Prosecutor B. Jeng applied for adjournment on grounds that the third prosecution witness and Permanent Secretary, Personnel Management Office, Dawda Fadera is still out of the jurisdiction.
Defence counsel Lamin Mboge did not oppose the application for adjournment. However, he renewed his earlier application for the state to produce the statement of the said witness for continuation of cross-examination. “Notice has been filed and served on the state since the 3rd of September, 2014. Once that statement is produced, I will finish with the cross-examination,” said Mboge.
“Several orders were made by the court for the state to produce the statement but up to date I have not been served with the statement,” he asserted.
The trial Magistrate ruled that the state should make the statement of the said witness available to the defence and consequently adjourned the case till October 7th for continuation of hearing.
Readers would recall that Dr. Bah is standing trial on a single count of ‘Abuse of office’, contrary to the laws of the Gambia. He denied any wrong doing.
According to the particulars of offence, the aforesaid person sometime in the month of January, 2013, at State House in the City of Banjul, Republic of the Gambia abused the authority of his office as Secretary General and Head of Civil Service by interfering with the recommendation and posting of Ms Jainaba Jobarteh to the Gambia permanent Mission at the United Nations in New York, without following the proper procedure of nomination, thereby committed an offence.
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