By: Nicholas Bass
Buba Tamba, a Scientific Officer at the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG) on Wednesday testified in the ongoing 52 blocks of cocaine case, involving three judicial officers, who stand accused of being responsible for the missing of drugs exhibits at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court.
Testifying before Justice Sarah Aryee of the Banjul High Court, Tamba told the court that he recognized the former principal registrar of Kanifing Magistrates’ Court Ridwan Othman.
According to him, he came into contact with Othman at the time his boss instructed him to retrieve the 52 blocks of cocaine, which were allegedly missing from the court.
Still testifying, Tamba said that upon his arrival at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court after 52 blocks of cocaine were given to him by Othman, he randomly selected three blocks, which were tested ,but the results were inconclusive during the preliminary test.
Tamba adduced that he was again instructed by his boss to extract samples from all the 52 blocks of cocaine which according to him ,the final test was conducted at the DLEAG HQ, where seven blocks of cocaine tested positive whilst the remaining 45 blocks of cocaine tested negative.
When quizzed by defence lawyer Lamin K. Mboge whether or not he had knowledge of how DLEAG senior officers tampered exhibits under their custody, Tamba consistently denied knowledge of such but confirmed that the anti-narcotics agency destroyed prohibited drugs in its last year’s drugs destruction exercise.
Mboge put it to Tamba that on several occasions, high profile officers of DLEAG ‘’tampered’’ with exhibits, arguing that DLEAG officers exchanged prohibited drugs with fake drugs during last year’s drug destruction exercise.
Meanwhile, the former principal registrar of Kanifing Magistrates’ Court Ridwan Othman and magistrate Ebrima Janko Colley stand accused of conspiracy to commit a felony, theft, dealing in prohibited drugs, fraud, and breach of trust whilst the court clerk, Maraiama Jankeh Tamba is being tried for negligence of official duty.
