Kombo Beach Executive Housekeeper Testifies

Cadet Inspector Mballow on the 29th December, 2008, called his second witness, Haddy Ceesay, executive housekeeper at Kombo Beach Hotel, to testify against Marc Maurice Alfred Vanmaldegum, who was charged with conspiring with others at large to defeat the course of justice by communicating with Charles Andrew Northfield, an accused person in the case of The State Vs Carnegie Minerals, knowing him to have absconded from trial.

The accused was also charged with preventing the execution of a legal process by communicating with the said Charles Northfield.

The witness, Haddy Ceesay, told the court that she was working at Kombo Beach Hotel as the executive housekeeper and that she has been working at the hotel for 25 years.

She stated that she knew the accused for a year and that he is the operations manager.

She adduced that she is the boss of the room-maids and she supervises them. She revealed that she could remember the 31st August 2008 and that she was at home on this day.

She indicated that she could recall the 1st September 2008 because she was at work.

She added that on the 1st September 2008, one of her room-maids called Adama Sarr came and told her that Charles Northfield, who was occupying room 110, did not spend the night in the room. She narrated that Charles Northfield did not spend the night in the room on the 2nd September 2008. She further added that on the 3rd September 2008, when she came to work she asked Adama Sarr whether Charles Northfield had spent the night in the room but she answered in the negative. She stated that she told Adama Sarr that she was going to report the matter to her boss, Mr. Adama Bah, the room’s division manager.

She went on to say that she asked Adama Sarr to go with her to the room and they found the door unlocked. She indicated that they opened the door and found the accused in the room. She stated that she asked the accused what he was doing in the room but he told her that Charles Northfield asked him to open the safe and take the items from it. She adduced that the accused also told her that it was Charles Northfield who asked him to share the items among the hotel staff. She stated that she went back to her boss and told him what happened.

She further said that on the 12th September 2008, her boss came with the hotel security, herself and two of her room-maids to pack all the belongings of Charles Northfield in the room and later kept them in their store. She finally testified that she made a statement at the police.

Asked by the defence counsel, Badou Conteh, why she waited after two days and reported the matter to her boss. She answered that it was their procedure. Still under cross-examination, she was asked whether she was not aware that Charles Northfield was involved in a court case. She said she was not aware. But the defence counsel put it to her that in her statement, she stated that she read in newspaper that Charles Northfield was involved in a court case.

The case was adjourned to the 5th January 2009 for continuation.