By: Nicholas Bass
A Bissau Guinean national, Nadine Ismael De Gouveira Pareira who was initially granted court leave to travel to Portugal for Christmas has returned to The Gambia and appeared in court to defend the charges pressed against her.
Nadine Ismael De Gouveira Pareira on Monday January 20, 2025 appeared before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh to prove her innocence before the court following a D5 million surety of one Saikou Conteh who stood as her surety.
However, the second prosecution witness, Foday Sillah, a clearing agent of clearing and forwarding agency at the Banjul port, in his testimony-in-chief said that Paulo Djabi’s father is one of the richest men in Guinea Bissau, adding that he started clearing the vehicles for one of the uncles of Paulo Djabi at the Banjul sometime in 2011.
Sillah recall when he came in contact with Paulo Djabi, but stated that he came in contact with Paulo after the demise of his uncle sometime between 2019 and 2020.
Following the state witness’s confused speech that was not allying with the state’s evidence against Paulo, the state lawyer Lamin Jarju claimed that he was unable to understand the state witness’s language as he speaks in English at the dock with a plea for such to be addressed by the court.
Defence lawyer Sheriff M. Tambadou at that juncture stood on his feet with an objection stating that the prosecution lawyer should not determine the manner in which witness Sillah should speak. Justice Jaiteh overruled lawyer Jarju’s application.
Defence lawyer Tambadou in his statement in court suggested that it seems like state lawyer Jarju was cross-examining the state witness Sillah but lawyer Jarju denied it.
According to the state witness, Sillah, when he cleared the vehicles of the accused, Paulo he took them to Guinea Bissau where he (Paulo) usually sold them.
When questioned by defence lawyer Tambaou under cross-examination regarding his relationship with Paulo, the state witness, Sillah said that they are cousins, adding that Paulo’s father is a businessman.
Meanwhile, in a similar case but a different sitting on Monday before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of Banjul High Court one Karanlang Badjie who stood as the first prosecution witness, a police officer attached at the Banjul Serious Crime unit, told the court that their office was phoned to look into a purported medical report of Paulo Djabi.
The first prosecution witness, Karalang Badjie said that upon their investigations, they realized that the purported medical report of Paulo Djabi that bears the name of Kanifing Hospital was false after realizing that Paulo was never in the said hospital.
Paulo, however, was charged but denied charges pressed against at Banjul Police headquarters, adding that he took his (Paulo) cautionary and voluntary statements. The said statements were admitted as exhibits without any objection from Paulo’s lawyer.
According to court records Paulo Djabi in a separate trial is facing four (4) charges of perjury, fabrication evidence, false swearing and procuring execution of documents by false preteens.
