The ongoing criminal case against one Lamin Cham, a supposed supporter of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) continued on Tuesday at the Bundung Magistrates’ Court.

The case, presided over by Magistrate Amina Saho-Ceesay, heard the testimony of Lamin Gibba, a prosecution witness.

In his address to the court, Mr Gibba said he is a police officer attached to the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) at Kanifing. He adduced that on 25th January 2007 during the National Assembly election he went around Bundung Bore Hole as part of a patrol they were conducting. While keeping watch between two polling stations, he said, two men passed them going from one polling station to another. He related that the polling agent called out to them and, when they went to answer the call, they found a scuffle between the accused and the agent. “He was telling the agent that this was not the time you should start voting. The agent told him that it was,” the witness told the court.

Still testifying, he said the accused further told the agent to stop the voting process and asked to see the ballot boxes. During the process, the witness continued, another officer tried to calm the man down but it led to a quarrel. He said they thus arrested the man and took him to Bundung police station.

During cross-examination, the defence counsel, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, put it to the witness that the man arguing with the polling agent was the candidate contesting the seat for the election. In response the witness said he didn’t know.

The defence counsel further put it to the witness that it was after the gentlemen left that they followed them and arrested them. The witness denied the claim. He also put it to the witness that it is after they realised that the other party to the quarrel was the candidate himself that they decided to pin all the blame on the accused. The witness replied that that was not right. “Did you ask whether the gentlemen were party officials?” the defence counsel asked. “No we did not,” the witness replied.

The counsel finally put it to the witness that everything that happened at the scene on that day was between one Alhagie Fatty, the UDP candidate, and the police, and not the accused. But the witness was adamant in his denial. The case resumes on May 2nd 2007.