By: Nicholas Bass
Defense lawyer Kaddijatou Jallow has called on the High Court in Banjul to acquit and discharge three senior government officials facing multiple corruption charges, arguing that the prosecution has failed to establish a prima facie case.
Representing Muhammadou Lamin Jaiteh (former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health), Balla Kandeh (Malaria Control Programme Manager), and Omar Malleh Ceesay (Executive Director of HePDO), Jallow made her no-case-to-answer submission before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh on Thursday.
The accused officials are charged with official corruption, economic crimes, forgery, theft, and obtaining goods by false pretense, in connection with an alleged embezzlement of $11.47 million intended for the Malaria Control Program between 2018 and 2020.
In her detailed submission, Jallow argued that testimony from key prosecution witnesses failed to implicate the accused. She highlighted that the first prosecution witness (PW1), Satang B. Houma, confirmed under cross-examination that all funds provided by the Global Fund and the Health Promotion Development Organization (HePDO) were properly accounted for.
Houma also stated that the funds went through three layers of financial oversight including audits and agency reviews before implementation. Jallow emphasized that these partnerships were based on formal Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between the Ministry of Health and international organizations like Global Fund, UNICEF, CRS, and HePDO.
The defense further cited the second prosecution witness (PW2), Ernest A. Mendy, who confirmed that the funding agreements were approved by a governing board under signed MoUs.
Jallow contended that the evidence presented does not support the prosecution’s claims of wrongdoing, asserting: “There is no basis for this court to call upon the accused to enter a defense.”
The case was adjourned for the defense to conclude its submission and for the prosecution’s response.
According to amended court records dated 17 March 2025, the trio stands accused of mismanaging international donor funds intended to support the country’s malaria prevention efforts.