Abdou Rahman Bah, Co-ordinator of the SulaymanJamesJunkungJammehMemorialNursery School who is also the 2nd accused in the ongoing criminal trial involving him and Oley Sey, on Wednesday opened his defence.

The duo were alleged to have conspired to steal the sum of D500,000 being money meant for the SulaymanJunkungJammehMemorialNursery School in Abuko.

In his testimony, the 2nd accused Abdou Rahman Bah told the court that he and his friends in the UK are constructing the said nursery school with the community of Abuko. He said he convinced his friends in the UK who brought a 44-foot-container with school materials, building materials and football equipment.

He added that while they were in the construction process of the nursery school, they suddenly saw the President of the Republic who was on a visit to Abuko abattoir. He said they chatted with the President who had expressed how happy and impressed he was with the work they were doing.

According to him, the President invited them to a dinner at Kanilai where he pledged to donate them an amount of D500,000, 1000 bags of cement, and computers. He said he and Hon Fabakary Tombong Jatta made efforts to get in touch with the chief of protocol but failed. Then suddenly, he said, Oley Sey entered the office of Fabakary Tombong Jatta. He said Hon. Jatta then told Oley Sey that they had been trying to get in touch with chief of protocol with regard to the President’s pledge but did not succeed. He said Oley Sey then told Hon Jatta that she had just talked to the chief of protocol and Hon. Jatta then assigned Oley Sey to help them reach the chief of protocol.

Further testifying, Mr Bah told the court that Oley Sey drove him to the State House to meet the chief of protocol.  Oley Sey then told the chief of protocol that it was Hon Fabakary Jatta who linked her with him to help get the pledge from the President. He said the chief of protocol then told them they would get the pledge soon, as the President is working on something.

According to him, he later received a call from the chief of protocol who told him that the President had given the pledge of D500,000 and that he should receive the money at the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education. He adduced that on the same day he received a call from the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education informing him that he should be in their office the next day for the presentation of the D500,000, and he informed Oley Sey accordingly. He said he told Oley Sey that they did not tell him about the 1000 bags of cement and computers.

The case was adjourned to 6th October 2008.