By: Nelson Manneh
Habibatou Jallow the thirty-fifth Prosecution Witness (PW35) and a staff at the Judiciary, yesterday 9th of April 2019, testified in the ongoing criminal trial involving former Intelligence Chiefs.
Testifying before Justice Kumba Sillah-Camara of the Banjul High Court, PW 35 said she is the one who transcribed the audios in the external hard drive and the video that was recorded during the interview of some officers in connection with the demise of Late Ebrima Solo Sandeng.
PW 35 said the external hard drive and video were given to her by the Judicial Secretary.
“Normally, if you are given such materials to transcribe, you listen to them and write what you hear from them,” she said; that this was what she did.
PW 35 said she started with the audio and later to the video; that the process took place in December 2017.
The witness said the Audio recordings in the external hard drive and video were in Mandinka, Wolof and English and she is able to speak all these languages.
“When I received the materials, I played them and I wrote what I heard from them,” she said; that after she transcribed the audio and video recordings, she printed out the documents, signed them and handed them over to the Judicial Secretary.
“If you see the transcribed material will you be able to identify it?” asked Counsel Combeh Gaye.
The witness responded in the positive, adding that it bears her signature. The transcribed material was then given to her to look at, and she was able to confirm that it was the one.
Counsel Combeh Gaye then tendered the transcribed material to the Court to be accepted as an exhibit.
Defence Lawyer Mene argued that the Court should not accept the transcribed documents as an exhibit. He said the witness told the Court that the recordings in the hard drive and video, are in Mandinka, Wolof and English; that therefore, the transcribed material should not be in English.
At this juncture, the matter was adjourned to today April 10th 2019, at 1 am for continuation of hearing.
The accused persons are Yankuba Badjie, an ex-director of the NIA, Sheikh Omar Jeng, an ex-director of operations at the NIA, Baboucar Sallah, Haruna Suso, Tamba Mansareh, Lamin Darboe, and Lamin Lang Sanyang. The 2nd accused person Louise Gomez, an ex-deputy director of the said agency, passed away in Government custody, during the course of the trial. However, Yusupha Jammeh, the 6th accused person was discharged by the Court, upon the State’s application.
