Police Officer Denies Ex-GRTS’ Wrongful Termination

A Police Officer attached to the Police Headquarters in Banjul yesterday told the Banjul Magistrate’s Court presided over by Ma-Nyima Bojang that investigation has shown that former state owned television (GRTS) reporter was not wrongfully terminated.
“After the panel findings” said Ismaila Mbaye “we find out that he accused was not wrongfully terminated”
Mbaye was testifying as the third prosecution witness in the one count criminal charge pressed by the state against Dodou Sanneh, former GRTS reporter.
 He is accused of giving false information to a public officer that he was wrongfully terminated following a petition he wrote to the office of the president concerning his unlawful termination.
He however denied giving any false information.
According to the witness, some members of the panel visited the office of the Ombudsman and GRTS following a petition letter they received from the President’s Office that the accused was dismissed without any reason (s) advance.
He said that the accused was invited and interrogated about the allegation. He added that the accused also wrote his statement.
He said at GRTS and the office of the Ombudsman, statements were obtained from some staff which he said illustrated that the accused was not unlawfully dismissed.
“Did you find out until the time of writing the petition to the President’s Office that no reason was advanced for my termination,” the accused posed to the witness during cross-examination. “No, I did not,” the witness responded.
The witness also told the court that he did not bother to find out about the termination letter of the accused during their investigations at GRTS, if any reason (s) was advance.
“Did you in your investigation find out when Momodou Sanyang, GRTS Director General submitted the reason (s) for my termination at the office of the Ombudsman,” the accused asked and the witness said he did not.
Still under cross-examination, the witness also said he did not know if pressures were made to the GRTS management to advance reason (s) for the accused termination by the office of the Ombudsman following a case he (the accused) filed.
“I don’t know, because I was not among those investigators who went to GRTS and to the Ombudsman’s office,” the witness advance but the accused put it to him: “This means all the information you got, you were informed.”
“No,” he said but could not tell the court the reason (s) why the accused was terminated when asked by the accused.
The trial will continue June 30, 2010.