By Nicholas Bass
Sheriff M. Tambedou counsel for Banta Keita who is accused of scamming over 13 million dalasis from Eco bank and unlawful drug trafficking, has challenged the admissibility of the case file on the ground that the document was forged when it was scanned by the computer.
The accused Banta Keita is being tried on nine counts of money laundering, anti-money laundering and combating of terrorist financing act 2012.
During the beginning of the trial, the State Prosecutor Lamin Jarju pleaded with the court to admit and mark a duplicate of the investigation report of the case file of Banta Keita as an exhibit, citing the importance of the report in the prosecution of the accused.
Counsel for Mr Keita, Barrister Sheriff Tambedou however, raised an objection to the admissibility of the report on the basis that the said report was a forged document which cannot be admitted.
After listening from both parties, the presiding judge, Justice ZN. Mboob admitted the said investigation report as exhibit K. after he was overwhelmingly convinced by the prosecutor paving a way for the prosecution witness Lamin Gassama to continue his testimony.
PW6, Lamin J. Gassama, a police officer who led the investigation team while continuing his evidence, told the court the investigation team comprised a panel of joint security forces.
He testified that one of their counterparts in the Senegal Drug Law Agency sent an email to them in French named OCRTIS.
The matter was at that point adjourned to January 13 for a ruling on the interpretation of the email from French to English after the defence raised an objection to the interpretation.
