Police stand firm on fact-based probe in passport scandal case
Superintendent Lamin Saidykhan of the Serious Crime Unit at Police Headquarters in Banjul has firmly defended the integrity of the police investigation into the passport scandal involving senior immigration officer Musa Sanyang. Sanyang is accused of unlawfully issuing a Gambian passport to fugitive Mbemba Drammeh on the 20 January 2025.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, A. Jarju in the ongoing case before Justice Sidi K. Jobarteh, Superintendent Saidykhan stressed that the investigation was conducted “thoroughly and based on facts,” insisting that no opinions or conjecture influenced the findings. He emphasised that the police relied solely on evidence, underscoring the credibility of the inquiry.
Detective Saidykhan reaffirmed his position in the trial, insisting that his witness statement reflected “nothing but the truth.” Defence counsel Jarju asked whether Saidykhan had provided a witness statement at the conclusion of the police investigation. The senior officer confirmed that he had, recognising the document shown to him as the original statement he authored. With no objection from the state counsel, Justice Jobarteh admitted the statement into evidence, marking it as an exhibit for the defence.
Jarju pressed further: “Do you still stand by the contents of your statement as the truth regarding the matter?” Saidykhan responded emphatically: “I stand by the context of the statement and nothing but the truth.”
The defence counsel then questioned whether Saidykhan’s investigation revealed that the accused was the administrator of the computer in use. Saidykhan confirmed this, but clarified that his witness statement was distinct from the official police investigation report.
Saidykhan replied: “If the account of all that happened is embedded in a witness statement, what is the essence of an investigation report?” he asked rhetorically, noting that his statement was recorded as a result of his visit to the MRP Unit of the Gambia Immigration Department.
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Jarju challenged him on whether the alleged sum of 40,000 dalasi was omitted from his statement. Saidykhan disagreed firmly: “I totally disagree with you.”
On the issue of fugitive Mbemba Drammeh, Saidykhan testified that the accused issued Drammeh a Gambian passport on 20 January 2025. He confirmed that a letter was sent to the Immigration Department the following day.
“There is no point the suspect can forget about the issuance of the passport he issued to the fugitive because the interval is less the 24 hours. However, he rejected Jarju’s suggestion that there was no report preventing Drammeh from receiving a passport. “I totally disagree with you,” Saidykhan said.
Further clarifying, Saidykhan added: “The Immigration Department is, by law, an independent entity, and there is no legal requirement for the GPF to inform the GID about Mbemba Drammeh’s live interview on social media. Again, the fugitive’s seditious remarks on social media were widely known and should have alerted the Immigration Department as a security institution.”
Source: The Point
