Detective Inspector Modou Lamin Manneh, attached to the serious crime unit, has testified in the criminal trial of Lieutenant Bakary Camara, Superintendent Manlafi Sanyang and Domenico Fideli, at the Banjul Magistrates' court on Thursday, 4 April, before Magistrate Kayode Olagubutu.

Defective Manneh said he knows all the accused persons in the dock. He recalled that he cautioned both Lieutenant Camara and Superintendent Sanyang on 25 January; that he cautioned them in English and translated the text to them in the Wollof language. He said that he obtained both their voluntarily and cautionary statements, in the presence of an independent witness; that he endorsed the statements, which were signed by the two accused persons and the independent witness. The said statements were tended in court as exhibit C, C1, D and D1.

During cross examination, by defence counsel Lamin S. Camara, detective Manneh said he did not know the accused persons prior to the case. He said he knows that both Lieutenant Camara and Superintendent Sanyang are educated, but that they requested him to write their statements.

He told the court that Camara and Sanyang are charged with stealing and conspiracy to commit felony, but that both denied the charges. Camara asked the witness whether Superintendent Sanyang's name was mentioned in the statement. It, however, took detective Manneh almost seven minutes before he could identify Mr. Sanyang's name on the statement.

At this point, Magistrate Kayode said to the witness, "The way you are wiping your face, it seems like you are not the author of the statement." Defective Manneh later identified the name, but Camara asked him to spell out the name, he spelt it as "Manlifa" Sanyang. When Camara asked him if that is the correct spelling, he said there is a spelling mistake but that it means Manlafi. Camara asked him whether there is any "Manlifa" in court, he replied in the negative. He said the spellings of the names are not the same, but the pronunciations are all the same. "Am putting it to you that the spelling of Manlafi" is not "Manlifa or Maliphi," said Camara. Detective Manneh insisted that it means the same. When Camara asked whether he had put it in writing that he had translated the statements to Camara and Sanyang, Defective Manneh said he did translate the statements to the accused person from "English to English language". Magistrate Olajubutu intervened and asked the witness whether he is confused, but he replied in the negative. Defective Manneh admitted that the statements were not translated to Camara and Sanyang in Wollof.

At this juncture, Counsel Camara gave him the statement to tell the court where it is stated 'translated in the Wollof language', but the prosecution witness refused to take the statement from the defence counsel, noting that he had seen it before. The Magistrate K warned him that the place is not a police station but the court; that he cannot dictate what is to be done in court.

He later admitted that it is not stated in the statement that it was translated to the accused persons in the Wollof language. Defective Manneh said all the statements were recorded by him and were in his own hand writing. Counsel Camara gave him a blank paper to write the names of Lieutenant Bakary Camara and Superintendent Manlafi Sanyang, which he did. Counsel Camara attempted to tender the hand writings of the witness in court as an exhibit, but was objected to by the prosecutor, Inspector Touray, who argued that it is only the finger print expert can determine the writings. The Magistrate butted in to say to the prosecutor that the matter before him is not about a finger printing but hand writing. Prosecutor Touray maintained that a hand writing expert can be called in to verify the two writings before the court. Touray noted that he does not see any need for the hand writing to be tendered in court as an exhibit.

Magistrate Olajubutu overruled the objection that the hand writing is irrelevant to the case. He allowed the defence to tender the document and which was admitted and marked as exhibit E.

Lieutenant Bakary Camara, the then protection officer to President Jammeh, is standing tril for alleged stealing, while Superintendent Manlafi Sanyang, vehicles controller at state house, is being tried for conspiracy to commit felony alongside the Italian architect Domenico Fidel.