Paolo Djabi and co defendants in court
The High Court in Banjul has heard detailed testimony from a real estate executive in the ongoing drug trafficking and money-laundering trial involving Paolo Djabi, Nadine Ismael de Goubela Pereira, and Mamadou Neto Djabi.
Testifying before Justice Jaiteh, the eighth prosecution witness (PW8), Seena Shams, Operations Director of Construct Limited, outlined a series of property transactions linked to the accused and the role played by a third-party real estate agency.
Led in evidence by State Counsel S. L. Jobarteh, Mr Shams identified the first and second accused, Paolo Djabi and Nadine Pereira, in court. He told the court that he did not know the third accused, Mamadou Neto Djabi, adding that it was his first time seeing him.
Mr Shams explained that Construct Limited is a family-owned company incorporated in 1991, which has since expanded into several subsidiaries, including Waterfront Fajara Ltd and Gem Waterfront Ltd. He stated that the company’s dealings with the accused arose through Mariama Kaira, the owner of the real estate agency Linkage Africa.
According to Mr Shams, Ms Kaira, who has collaborated with the company for more than a decade, introduced Paolo Djabi as a client. He told the court that Ms Kaira initially attempted to purchase several high-value units at the Fajara Waterfront development but later disclosed that she had entered into what she described as a “partnership arrangement” with Mr Djabi after experiencing difficulties meeting the payment requirements.
He informed the court that the properties under consideration were priced as follows: Unit P7 at approximately US$450,000, and Units A6G3 and A3G3 at approximately US$300,000 each.
Mr Shams testified that payments for Unit P7 were made through wire transfers from the United States, along with commission payments. However, he said the payment arrangements for Units A6G3 and A3G3 were more complicated, involving deposits made by multiple parties and through money exchange services.
He further told the court that Ms Kaira had informed the company that Mr Djabi was lending her money and arranging deposits on her behalf to settle outstanding balances. Despite these payments, Mr Shams stressed that the transactions for two of the units remain incomplete and are now overdue.
The proceedings later turned to evidentiary matters when State Counsel Jobarteh applied to tender three documents into evidence, including invoices, balance statements, and unsigned sale agreements.
Defence Counsel S. M. Tambadou objected to the admissibility of the unsigned sale agreements, arguing that they were not properly executed and therefore lacked legal standing.
In a bench ruling, Justice Jaiteh overruled the objection and admitted the documents as exhibits P-30, P-31, and P-32. The judge clarified that while the documents were admitted, the defence retains the right to challenge their authenticity and evidential weight during cross-examination and in final submissions.
“The defence remains entitled to challenge the authenticity, credibility, and weight of the documents during cross-examination and final submissions,” Justice Jaiteh ruled.
The matter was adjourned to 20 January 2026.
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