Pa Modou Njie, a former Principal Trial of The State versus Pa Modou Njie, a former Principal Magistrate,
faces charges of dealing in prohibited drugs and official corruption before the High Court, continued today, 18 June 2026, before Justice Sonia Akinbiyi, with cross-examination and testimonies of prosecution witnesses in the mysterious disappearance of 104 blocks of cocaine that were once held as court exhibits.
Pa Modou Njie, who served as Principal Magistrate at the Bundung Magistrates’ Court in the Kanifing Municipality, faces two counts on an Amended Information filed by the state:
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. State alleges that between 16 and 22 August 2023, Pa Modou Njie unlawfully had in his possession 104 cocaine blocks that were forfeited drug exhibits in the case of DLEAG versus Abdoulie Saidyba and Ndey Jatta, while falsely assuming the role of exhibit keeper.
They further alleged to have corruptly solicited and received the sum of GMD 70,000 from a businessman known as Michael Eze on 16 October 2024 at Bundung.
During the proceedings, the first prosecution witness, Kebba Toure, took the stand again and was reminded that he remained under oath before cross-examination by defence counsel L.S. Camara.
Kebba Toure, who served as Registrar of the Bundung Magistrates’ Court from 2022 to 2023, told the court he had served as an assistant registrar in various courts before taking up the sole posting of registrar at Bundung.
Testifying on the custody and transfer of the 104 cocaine blocks, Kebba Toure described in detail the procedure followed when the Drug Law Enforcement Agency – The Gambia (DLEAG) came to retrieve the exhibits. He told the court that officers from the agency came to the exhibit store, where the cocaine was removed from its containers in the presence of DLEAG’s director and court staff, counted and confirmed to be 104 blocks.
A sample was taken to the agency’s laboratory for testing, and the remaining drugs were left in his custody. Two days later, DLEAG returned, satisfied with the test results, and the drugs were recounted in the presence of the director and officers before being packed into the agency’s vehicle.
“One of the drug squad officers, Sgt Buramoth Jammeh, signed my waybill as a recipient of the 104 blocks from me,” Toure told the court, also naming J.C. Faye and a director identified as Mr Faal as having been present during the handover.
Kebba Toure further stated that when he appeared before an investigation panel in connection with the missing cocaine, he had retained a copy of the waybill from the current registrar of Bundung Magistrates’ Court to demonstrate his role in the matter.
He confirmed to the court that he could produce the way book if called upon to do so. Defence counsel had no further questions for the witness, and re-examination was not conducted. Kebba Toure was discharged.
The second prosecution witness, Demba Bah, Deputy Superintendent of Police and head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Kairaba, was sworn on the Holy Koran and testified in English. Demba Bah told the court that he knew the accused and that his testimony concerned the 104 blocks of cocaine.
Demba Bah stated that he obtained both a cautionary and a voluntary statement from Pa Modou Njie in connection with the investigation. He said he informed the accused of the Judge’s Rules that whatever he said would be recorded in writing and tendered as evidence, and noted that, as Njie was a trained legal practitioner who knew the law, he had written the statement himself.
Demba Bah said an independent witness was thereafter called to sign the cautionary statement as a witness, alongside Bah himself.
Upon being asked whether he could identify the statements, Demba Bah confirmed he would recognise them by his handwriting and signature.
Prosecution counsel tendered the documents in evidence. Defence counsel L.S. Camara did not object, and the court admitted the voluntary statement of Pa Modou Njie, dated 9 December 2020, as Exhibit A1, and the cautionary statement, dated 5 December 2020, as Exhibit A2.
During cross-examination by counsel Camara, Demba Bah confirmed that he had guided the accused in making his statements and that, given Njie’s legal background, the accused had written the statements himself in the presence of an independent witness.
The third prosecution witness, Chief Michael Eze, a businessman, was sworn on the Holy Bible and testified in English. Eze stated that he came to know the accused person as a friend.
He recounted that in early 2025, he was arrested at night around 7 p.m. and taken to a police station, where officers questioned him about the nature of his relationship with Njie.
Eze told the court he had explained to the police that Njie was his client: he dealt in motor spare parts, repaired the accused’s car, and also assisted him in obtaining electronics, including a DSTV subscription.
He stated clearly that no other transactions had occurred between himself and the accused beyond what he had described.
Eze confirmed that he had made both a voluntary and a cautionary statement to the police. Prosecution counsel sought to tender the documents for identification. The court admitted the cautionary and voluntary statements of Michael Eze, both dated 3 December 2020, as ID1 and ID2 respectively.
Case Adjourned to 13 July 2026 from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m., and 16 July 2026, the same hours, for the continuation of the trial.
