Lawyer Darboe asks police to produce document showing APRC permit application denied

The registrar at police headquarters in Banjul, Superintendent Ken Mendy, on Tuesday testified in the on-going trial of the UDP Campaign Manager Femi Peters before Principal Magistrate Joseph Ikpala at Kanifing Magistrates’ Court

In his testimony, Superintendent Mendy told the Court that he recognised the accused. He said his responsibility is to control all incoming and outgoing correspondents. He told the court that he remembered what happened on 12th October, 2009.

Superintendent Mendy told the Court that on 12th October, 2009, Mr. Femi Peters brought an application requesting a permit for use of a public address system (PAS). The application, he said, was addresed to the IGP. He said when he received the application from Femi Peters he forwarded it to the IGP for further directives.

He added that the directives he received from the IGP on October 13 did not approve Peters' application. 

The written application received from Femi Peters was then tendered in court by the prosecution as an exhibit without any objection from the defence counsel, and was marked as exhibit 'A' by the court.

According to superintendent Ken Mendy, the accused returned to the office of the IGP on Friday, 23rd October, 2009 between the hours of 11am to 12pm to make a follow-up.

He said when Peters returned, he asked him to wait for him to check with the IGP to see if he had taken any decision on the application. He said he later communicated IGP's decision to decline the application to Femi Peters.

He told the court that the accused told him that the IGP should be diplomatic and said he (the accused) knew what to do and then left.

Mendy also informed the Court that if an application is approved, they write to the applicant, but if the application is not approved, they communicate that decision to the applicant verbally.

Under cross-examination by the defence counsel Ousainou Darboe, Mendy was asked how long he has worked as a registrar at the police headquarters? Superintended Mendy said has been working as a registrar for ten years.

Darboe also asked Mendy whether the accused was told the reason for which his application was rejected? To this, Mendy admitted that police did not tell the applicant the reason for rejecting his application.

Asked whether he knew anything about the rally that was organised by the Governor of Western Region. He answered in the negative.

Darboe also asked Mendy why was it that the police no longer write to applicants when their applications are rejected. Superintendent Mendy explained that they have a new system in place, which stipulates that if an application is approved; they write to the applicant and if denied; the decision is communicated verbally.

At this point, the letter that was received by the UDP from the IGP for not approving their application dated 8th June 2000 was tendered as an exhibit without any objection from the Prosecutor, Inceptor Fadera.

Defence counsel, Ousainou Darboe put it to Superintendent Mendy that the governing APRC party never applied and got rejected, but the prosecution witness, Superintendent Mendy denied it.

However, Darboe challenged him to produce any application made by the APRC and to show where APRC has been rejected during the next adjourned date.

The case has been adjourned till 21st January, 2010 for continuation of the cross-examination.