Gov’t vehicle theft case resumes

Monday, April 7, 2008
The on going criminal case of vehicle stealing contrary to Section 252 of the Criminal Code Cap 10 Volume III Laws of The Gambia involving Manlafi Sanyang, Bakary Camara, and Dominico Fedeli, an Italian national, on Thursday resumed at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court before Senior Magistrate Kayode Olajubutu.

Thursday’s sitting was characterised with more evidence from a Police detective, Modou Lamin Manneh of the Serious Crimes Unit of the Police Head Quarters in Banjul.

In his evidence in chief, detective police detective Manneh informed the court that he recognised the three accused persons. He recalled that on the 25th January 2008, the three accused person’s namely Manlafi Sanyang, Bakary Camara and Dominico Fedeli appeared before him and he cautioned and took their voluntary statements based on their consent which was later read to them in the language their understood, signed and endorsed by the accused persons and the Independent witness as well as he (Manneh) as the officer who recorded the statements.

He further identified the said cautionary and voluntary statements he obtained from the accused persons.

Inspector Touray, prosecution officer applied to tendered the said documents as exhibits. Defence Counsel Lamin Camara, raised no objection to the prosecution’s application. The documents were tendered and marked as exhibit C,CI and D, DI respectively.

Responding to questions posed to him during a cross exaimination by the defence counsel.

Lamin Camara, police detective Modou Lamin Manneh maintained that, he in deed recorded the cautionary and voluntary statements from the first and second accused persons Bakary Camara and Manlafi Sanyang respectively.

He however, accepted wrong spellings being made on the second accused person Manlafi Sanyang’s name, instead of Manlafi Sanyang, spelled as Manlipha Sanyang. “It’s just a mistake and everyone is bound to make a mistake. Despite the mistake, I am refering to Manlafi Sanyang” he said.





Author: by Sanna Jawara