By: Nicholas Bass
Bissau Guinean, Paulo Djabi Monday vehemently denied making any false statement on oath, claiming that he had nothing to do with a falsified medical paper that emanated from Kanifing General Hospital.
Testifying before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of Banjul High Court, Djabi stated that his friend, Amie Njie contacted his Gambian doctor at Afremid International Hospital which according to him ,Njie was informed by his doctor that Djabi had ‘’stone kidney’’.
”My friend, Amie Njie advised me to travel to Senegal or to other countries for treatment,” Djabi said.
He adduced that he told Njie that he was on court bail and his traveling documents were not in his possession to enable him travel outside The Gambia for medical treatment.
Further testifying, Djabi stated that the next day, Njie brought a medical paper to him, adding that he did not know the name of the hospital the said medical report bore.
Djabi explained that he gave the medical report in question to his lawyer Sheriff M. Tambadou who filed it before the court to secure his [Djabi] traveling documents from the court.
He deduced that his friend Amie Njie later absconded from the jurisdiction, and was currently in the United Kingdom [UK].
Under cross-examination with state lawyer Mariama Singateh, Djabi maintained that he usually contacted his doctor for medical treatment ,noting that his doctor visited him for check-ups.
Defense lawyer Tambadou intercepted state lawyer Singateh when she repeatedly asked Djabi to clarify if the doctor went to his apartment or if he visited the Afremid hospital for check-ups.
Djabi, however, confirmed that the purported medical report in question was to enable him travel out of The Gambia for treatment.
According to Djabi, he instructed his lawyer to file the medical report before the court, but after the state’s reply to his application, his lawyer withdrew the medical report from the court.
The state lawyer Singateh at that juncture puts it to the accused that his lawyer withdrew the alleged medical report because it was false.
Meanwhile, the court records revealed that Paulo Djabi separately is tried on four (4) charges of perjury, fabrication of evidence, false swearing and procuring execution of documents by false pretense.
Then, the case was adjourned for the accused lawyer to address the court on a no-case-to-answer.
