By Staff Reporter James
Jammeh Banjul
In Femi Peters Trial
Darboe Holds Police OC Registry. The trial of UDP’s
Campaign Manager, Femi Peters, continued at the Kanifing Magistrate's Courts,
before Principal Magistrate Joseph Emmanual Ikpala, on Thursday January 21st,
2010, with the defense counsel, Lawyer ousainou Darboe, continuing on his cross
examination of the prosecution’s fourth witness (PW4).
Mr Darboe asked PW4, in
the person of the Officer Commanding Registry Department at the Gambia Police
Headquarters in Banjul, Superintendent Ken Mendy, if he could produce a
rejection letter for the ruling APRC which was not approved by the police to
hold any rally. PW4 then produced a
document before the court, and, subsequently, it was admitted as exhibit
D2.
Darboe went on to ask
the witness whether exhibit D2 was approved by the IGP. But PW4 responded in the
negative. Defense counsel further asked the witness whether he knew that the
applicant, Femi Peters, was an opposition member. The witness replied in the
positive.
Going further, Darboe
quizzed the witness why was it not approved, Superintendent Ken Mendy then said
that he could not ascertain as to why the application was not approved. An
application by the ruling APRC for holding any political rally was produced
before the court and was marked as exhibit D3.
Still in cross
examination, Darboe said the rally supposed to be held on the 7th of
August 2001. The witness replied in the positive. The defense counsel, during
his marathon cross examination, also asked the witness why was the application
not rejected. The witness replied that he did not know, saying that he is not
the one to approve the application.
However, Darboe put it
to him that exhibit D3 was made up. The witness denied it.
He also stated that exhibit A and D2 are limited to the IGP. When asked by the
defense counsel whether on the front and back of exhibit D3, there was any
minute to the IGP. In response, he confirmed that on the front of exhibit D3,
there was no minute to the IGP.
Darboe also said, ‘‘you
will agree with me that, exhibit D3 was not from the APRC Campaign Manager.
"Yes'', replied Superintendent Ken Mendy.
"Why do you issue a
permit to a small ward and deny the minority leader,’’ Darboe asked.
"I do not
know," Mendy said.
"Was exhibit D3 the only
application by the APRC you could trace out?’’ ‘‘Yes,’’ again said the
witness.
Darboe then asked the
witness whether he knew that the National Mobilizer of the APRC was embarking on
a country wide tour. He said no, he did not know. The defense further asked him
if he received any application from the ruling party, he replied in the
negative.
The case was at this juncture adjourned to the 2nd of February, 2010 at 1030 am, for the prosecution to call in their next witness in the ongoing trial.