By Arret Jatta
The trial involving former Lands minister Sheriff Abba Sanyang and four others resumed at the High Court in Banjul before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh yesterday after a series of delays, with the testimony of PW1, a long time Permanent Secretary at Lands Buba Sanyang continuing his testimony.
Led in evidence by State Counsel A Gibba, the witness was asked about the role of Village Development Committees (VDCs) in the sale of forfeited lands. He told the court that VDCs can only sell land when such land is entrusted to them by individuals, families or communities. He stressed that a VDC, as a body, is not a landowner unless land is specifically given to it.
Buba Sanyang further stated that he did not know whether the Kassa Kunda VDC had been authorised to sell land on behalf of the community.
During cross-examination by defence counsel K Sanyang, the witness agreed that Kassa Kunda was not the only community that benefited from lands previously owned by former president Yahya Jammeh and later forfeited to the state. Although he could not recall all the communities involved, he confirmed that Kassa Kunda received 40 per cent of the land under procedures similar to those applied elsewhere.
The witness was shown a letter dated December 27, 2022, from Lands and Surveys Director Kebba Ceesay to the Alkalo of Kassa Kunda regarding the return of 40 per cent of the forfeited land on behalf of landowners. With no objection from the prosecution, the document was admitted into evidence and marked Exhibit D1.
Asked whether the document contained any false information, the witness said it was a genuine communication and that, to his knowledge, the minister had neither abused his office nor misled anyone regarding the allocation.
“The minister is the custodian of the land and to my knowledge, he has not abused his office in regard to the letter and did not falsely informed anyone about this allocation. The allocation is genuinely made,” Buba Sanyang told the court.
However, the witness added that, the letter was addressed to the Alkalo of Kassa Kunda on behalf of the landowners and those landowners can either be the community itself, that is the village, or members of families in that village.
Following the completion of cross-examination, the witness was discharged. The matter was adjourned to July 14 at 10am.
