Prison Boss Named in another Scandal

David Colley

The Gambia’s director general of prisons, David Colley has been named in yet another prison scandal; this time accused of accepting a bank cheque from a treason convict whose whereabouts has been a subject of controversy.
“I witnessed Yusuf Ezzedeen hand over a Trust Bank cheque to David Colley,” Mr Lamin Jarju, an ex-convict told the magistrates’ court in Banjul on Monday as he testified in the criminal trial involving four prison officers.
A Gambian Lebanese national, Yusuf Ezzedeen alias Rambo was condemned to death for attempted coup last year alongside former defence chief Lang Tombong and six others, whose appeal at Appeal Court had been refused whilst Yusuf remains unseen in court for over four consecutive sittings.
Unconfirmed newspaper reports have it that the Lebanese has already reunited with his family in Lebanon after paying out his freedom.
And fresh allegations adduced by Mr Jarju, an ex-convict who claimed to have been David Colley’s cleaner during the five years he spent in jail are that Yusuf had handed-over a bank cheque to prisons boss and that the said cheque was cashed by Bakary Wharf Kujabi, a wanted prison officer.
Mr Jarju also revealed that David Colley gave him a charm for onward delivery to Ensa Badjie, former police chief, now a lifer.
He said, he knows Lang Tombong Tamba, ex-Chief of Defense Staff of The Gambia Armed Forces, now a death row convict and one Sainey Tamba.
“On each occasion that when Sainey brought food, he used to give me D1, 500.00. The D1, 000.00 for David Colley and D500 for me,” he said.
He revealed that the 1st accused person, Abdoulie Bojang one day gave him two Nokia mobile phones to give it to Lang Tombong Tamba and one Batch Faye at the security wing.
The Director of Public Prosecution, Abdoulie Mikalive at this juncture tendered the phones for evidence purpose.
Meanwhile, the four accused persons: Abdoulie Bojang, Solo Manga, Buba Badjie and Bakary Jammeh all pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption, destroying evidence, granting unauthorised communication to prisoners and introducing prohibited articles in prison
The case resumes August 24, 2011.