Saffiatou Njie, former Director of Administration of the Independent Electoral Commission(IEC), yesterday testified in the ongoing six(6) million dalasis forgery case involving Kawsu Ceesay, Chief Electoral Officer of the IEC.

In her testimony, presided over by Magistrate Babucarr Secka of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court, Mrs Njie told the court that she formerly worked at the country’s electoral body as the Director of Administration from 1996-2006.

According to her, she knew the accused Kawsu Ceesay as the Chief Electoral Officer of the IEC and Ndondi Njie as the former Chairman of the IEC.

She told the court that while working at the IEC as the Director of Administration, her work entails administrative matters, including correspondence affecting the staff, among other duties.

The 65-year-old former IEC Director of Administration told the court that she also knew a Canadian company called the Code Incorporated. According to him, it’s the company from which the IEC ordered electoral materials.

Mrs Njie narrated to the court that in March 2006, Mr Ndondi told them that he received emails and telephone calls from Code Incorporated regarding the ordering of electoral materials, of which IEC had to hold a meeting to find out who actually makes the firm’s orders.

“There was a meeting convened at the IEC office which was attended by IEC commissioners, including the the accused. Mr Ndodni NJie informed them that he [Mr NJie] never gave an approval, while Mr Ceesay is insisting that it was Mr Njie who gave him the verbal approval instructing him to go ahead with the ordering of electoral material,” she told the court.

The 65-year-old narrated to the court that, during this denial of Mr Njie, the accused never produced anything to prove the contrary and Mr Njie asked his CEO to take the minutes of the meetings.

She narrated that with these arguments and counter arguments between Mr Ceesay and Mr Njie, the purported approved document was not produced at the said meetings.

According to her, she was surprise when she was shown the approved document- between July and August 2006 when Mr Njie was removed from office as IEC Chairman.

During cross examination by Defence Counsel Musa Batchilly, Ms Njie added that the memo sought approval for payment to be made to Code Incorporated and not for ordering goods.

She also admitted that Mr Ceesay was instructed to look for an invoice for the electoral materials.

Asked about who called the meetings, Ms Saffiatou Njie responded that the said meeting was called by the then IEC Chairman(Mr Njie).

She added that during the meetings, Mr Ndondi Njie argued that how can he, Mr Ndondi Njie, give orders when there is no fund.

According to her, she did not know whether the commission has investigated the matter or not.

The trial will continue at a later date.