Trial of Former Principal Magistrate Over Disappearance of 104 Cocaine Blocks Resumes

The trial of former Bundung Principal Magistrate Pa Modou Njie, who is facing charges related to the disappearance of 104 blocks of cocaine that were held as court exhibits, continued on Thursday before Justice Sonia Akinbiyi at the High Court.

Njie is charged with dealing in prohibited drugs, contrary to Section 33(d) of the Drug Control Act, and official corruption, contrary to Section 86(a) of the Criminal Code.

According to the prosecution, between 16 and 22 August 2023, Njie unlawfully possessed 104 blocks of cocaine that had been forfeited as exhibits in the case of DLEAG v. Abdoulie Saidyba and Ndey Jatta, while falsely assuming the role of exhibit keeper. The State further alleges that he corruptly solicited and received D70,000 from businessman Michael Eze on 16 October 2024 in Bundung.

The first prosecution witness, Kebba Touray, a former Registrar of the Bundung Magistrates’ Court, returned to the witness stand for cross-examination by defence counsel L.S. Camara.

Touray told the court that he served as Registrar of the Bundung Magistrates’ Court between 2022 and 2023 after previously working as an assistant registrar in several courts.

Providing details on the handling of the 104 cocaine blocks, Touray testified that officers of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency–The Gambia (DLEAG) came to the court’s exhibit store to retrieve the drugs. He said the cocaine was removed from its containers, counted, and verified in the presence of DLEAG officials and court staff.

According to Touray, the exhibits were confirmed to number 104 blocks, after which a sample was taken to DLEAG’s laboratory for testing. The remaining exhibits remained in his custody until DLEAG returned two days later following confirmation of the laboratory results.

He testified that the cocaine was recounted in the presence of DLEAG officials before being loaded into an agency vehicle.

“One of the Drug Squad officers, Sgt. Buramoth Jammeh signed my waybill acknowledging receipt of the 104 blocks,” Touray told the court.

He also identified DLEAG officer J.C. Faye and a director identified as Mr. Faal as being present during the handover.

Touray further testified that when he later appeared before an investigative panel examining the disappearance of the cocaine exhibits, he obtained a copy of the waybill from the current registrar of the Bundung Magistrates’ Court to support his account of the transfer process.

He informed the court that he could produce the waybill if required. Following cross-examination, the witness was discharged without re-examination.

The second prosecution witness, Deputy Superintendent of Police Demba Bah, head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Kairaba, testified under oath that he was involved in the investigation into the missing cocaine exhibits.

Bah told the court that he obtained both a cautionary statement and a voluntary statement from the accused.

He testified that before taking the statements, he informed Njie of the Judge’s Rules and explained that anything he said could be recorded and used as evidence in court. Bah added that because Njie is a trained legal practitioner familiar with legal procedures, he wrote the statements himself.

The witness further stated that an independent witness was present and signed the cautionary statement alongside him.

When asked whether he could identify the documents, Bah said he recognized them through his handwriting and signature.

The prosecution subsequently applied to tender the statements into evidence. Defence counsel L.S. Camara raised no objection, and Justice Akinbiyi admitted the documents as exhibits.

The voluntary statement was admitted as Exhibit A1, while the cautionary statement was admitted as Exhibit A2.

During cross-examination, Bah maintained that the accused personally wrote the statements after being informed of his rights and in the presence of an independent witness.

The prosecution’s third witness, businessman Michael Eze, testified that he knew the accused as a friend and client.

Eze told the court that in early 2025 he was arrested at around 7 p.m. and taken to a police station, where investigators questioned him about his relationship with Njie.

He explained that he operated a motor spare parts business and had repaired Njie’s vehicle on several occasions. He also assisted the former magistrate in obtaining electronic items, including a DSTV subscription.

Eze stated that those were the only dealings he had with the accused and denied any other transactions beyond the services he had described.

He confirmed that he provided both a cautionary and voluntary statement to investigators.

The prosecution tendered the statements for identification purposes, and the court marked the cautionary statement as ID1 and the voluntary statement as ID2.

Justice Akinbiyi adjourned the matter to 13 July 2026 and 16 July 2026, between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., for the continuation of the trial.