Fatou Dem
Defence counsel L. Mboge for the second accused, Amie Bojang, referred the witness to the statement he made on 10 November 2023 after he recorded the cautionary and voluntary statements of the first accused.
The witness told the court that on 13 September 2023, Ousainou Bojang told him that he was tired and he could not make statement, which he said he recorded in the station diary.
During the interrogation of the accused Ousainou Bojang in a panel of security personnel, Ebou Sowe the witness and police officer, attached to the police Anti-Crime Unit in Banjulinding, told the court that the interaction with the accused were usually recorded but he did not know whether this particular one was recorded.
For his part, the first accused’s defence counsel L. Darboe asked the witness where he knew the independent witness who was present when Ousainou Bojang was giving his narration. The witness Ebou Sowe told the court that he met the independent witness inside the Anti-Crime complex.
Sowe further testified that the independent witness did not work with the Anti-Crime nor did he work with any security service that he knew, adding that the independent witness told him he had an issue to sort out.
The witness added that the entire process of recording the accused statements was done at around 12 midday and the independent witness had to be there.
Asked by defence counsel L Darboe to state what he did with the independent witness for a whole hour before commencement of the cautionary statement, he responded that the accused narrated the entire version and later the statement was obtained.
Asked if he, the witness, called a family member, a friend or anyone the accused hadtrust in to be an independent witness, the witness said that approach would have defeated the purpose of an independent witness.
Counsel Darboe told him that for the purpose of fairness and transparency, the witness would have gone out with his agency and organize someone to act as an independent witness, then the public would have more trust in that process than a secret process.
The witness said there was no secret process and the laid-down procedures were duly followed, adding that “the police do not have ready-made independent witnesses”.
He further disclosed that there was no audio or video recordings made during the course of the narration of the accused.
The case continues today.
