Ex-KMC Acting Mayor’s Trial Continues

The trial of the former Acting Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), Mr. Alieu Momar Njie, continued on Tuesday before Magistrate Moses Richards of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court.

The accused, who is also the former Chief Scout Commissioner, is standing trial at the Kanifing court for allegedly stealing the sum of D4m (Four million dalasis) being the property of The Gambia Scout Association.

Continuing his testimony under cross-examination by the defence counsel, the prosecution witness number 1, Alhagie Gibril Njie, told the court that the accused was the one responsible for the maintenance of the scout association vehicles whose age he could not recall. PW1 told the court that when the accused submitted the financial statement on the proceeds from the hire of the vehicles and it was discovered that the expenses turned out to be more than the income realised from hiring those vehicles. He told the court that the Scout Association never verified the cost of the maintenance.

He further said that the ECOWAS Jamboree fund was paid to the bank account, but the accused was the one doing the withdrawals by cheque. As to why the D20, 000 was paid to the accused’s daughter, he said he did not know, but added that the financial statement submitted by the accused indicated that his daughter had attended a Jamboree in Essex, London. He said the accused was the authorised spending officer.

PW1 admitted that the reason he was detained at the Serekunda Police station was that he refused to surrender all the financial documents the accused had ordered him to surrender, adding that could not oblige the accused because he was under investigation by a steering committee.

PW1 further adduced that he knew nothing regarding the Soma Scout Skills Camp, but noted that he had seen the financial report. He said that during an extraordinary meeting of the Association’s executive, Mr. Haffner was elected as the Chief Scout Commissioner.