Sergeant Musa Jahateh, yesterday told the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court presided over by Principal Magistrate Moses Richards, that the evidence given by the prosecution against Alieu Faye, former accountant of Stop-Step Pharmacy and Jays Electrical Holdings, who is standing trial for allegedly stealing D0.5 million is overwhelming.

Sgt Jahateh made this remark during his address in response to an earlier address made by the defence counsel last week in a bid to clear the allegation against Alieu Faye.

Prosecutor Jahateh told the court that there is uncontroversial evidence against the accused person, which he said was corroborated by the prosecution witnesses. He added that the accused told the court that he waited for a long time at Trust Bank - Banjul branch, but he never mentioned the reason for his long stay.

He submitted that the Ali Jaffer, the fifth prosecution has confirmed to the court that at the time the accused packed his vehicle at the front of his shop in Old Jeshwang, he did not see anybody near the vehicle neither did he see anyone stealing the money, within the short time the accused spent at Karoum Enterprises.

According to Sgt Jahateh the accused had the intention to deprive the complainant of the money he is alleged to have stolen.

He told the court that Njaga Saho, the second prosecution witness has informed the court that he was sent together with the accused to cash the sum of D0.5 million and with other additional cheques for deposit at the Trust Bank, Bakau, but the accused did not go by the instructions of his boss.

Sgt Jahateh further submitted that Mr Elzodi, the proprietor of Karoum Enterprises in Old Jeshwang, had testified that Mr Faye collected a proforma invoice from his shop, but he barely spent three minutes in the shop.  

However, he noted that Ensa Badjie, the sixth prosecution witness, informed the court that when he visited the scene of the said alleged crime, he inspected the accused person’s vehicle together with his men, but they did not see damages either on the windscreen or on the doors of the vehicle.”

Mr Faye testified in court that he was involved in similar cases in which he was paraded for identification and subjected to interrogation over the missing money,” he submitted.

He added that the defence call only one witness, Kanjura Sambou, Assistant Registrar at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court, who confirmed to the court that the complainant filed a civil case against the accused person. Sgt Jahateh however noted that as long as the criminal case before the court is concern, civil cases is not the issue, he urged the court to accordingly convict the accused.