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Gambia: Man Alleges Bribing Police

One Salifu Mbacke Colley, of Serrekunda, who is standing trial at the Kanifing Magistrate Court for allegedly driving a vehicle with registration number BJL 2194B without paying road tax, has, on Tuesday 15th May, accused the traffic police officers of taking a bribe from him to settle his case out of court, but that never materialised.

Mr. Colley explained that on the day in question in October 2006, while he was driving towards Barthez in Serrekunda, he was stopped by a traffic police officer named Suba. He said that he was ordered to park his car and asked to produce his driving licence and other documents of the vehicle. He noted that he produced the photocopy of his driving licence but told the police that the vehicle's documents were with the owner of the vehicle. Colley said that he told the officer that he was taking the vehicle from a mechanic's garage and that he was taking it home to park.

He said that at that point another vehicle with registration number BJL 0653E was also stopped by the same officer (Suba) and the driver asked to produce his documents, which the driver could not produce. He added that another vehicle was also stopped with the number BASE1 and that the Base1 driver gave some money to the officer (Suba) and that the driver was released. Mr. Colley asserted that Suba came to him and asked him what he (Colley) intend to say. "I told him that, I have only D50 with me and my friend wanted to add D25, but I asked him not to do so," said Colley. Colley indicated that they were later joined by another traffic officer called Trawally who later escorted him to the Mobile Traffic Unit with the other vehicle (number BJL 0653E) with Suba riding on a motorbike. He said that upon arrival at the mobile unit, he parked his vehicle and handed the keys to Mr. Trawally. Mr. Colley said that he was later asked by another officer called Fadia to go and bring the documents of the vehicle, that he would then be released. He stressed that another officer named Touray insisted that he (Colley) should wait behind the police station counter until somebody bailed him. He said that a friend of his named Ousman Jobe came to bail him out. He said that the vehicle's owner came with the documents and tried to compromise with the police to settle the matter. He said that the vehicle owner told him that he had agreed with the police to pay them D700 to settle the matter. Colley indicated that he provided D300 while the vehicle owner provided D400. He said that they went into the office and gave the amount of D700 to officer Touray and that Touray promised that the case was over. He indicated that he later asked for his bailor's Identity Card but that Touray asked him to come for it later. He said that, upon his return with another vehicle to the police mobile unit, Touray asked him to produce his driving licence. He indicated that he told Touray that the issue is not about driving licence but that of his bailor's ID Card. "Touray said that if I did not produce my driving licence, I would not be allowed to go," lamented Colley. He said that he called a friend who brought his driving licence to him but that Touray insisted that they would summon him at the court. He said that on four occasions he came to court but the case never proceeded. He alleged that Trawally told him that the police's process of taking cases to court takes a long time.

The police prosecutor, Inspector Secka, put it to him that the police had never asked any money from him and that the vehicle did not have a document at that time but that the documents were prepared after the incident. Mr. Colley replied in the negative. "I'm putting it to you that Suba caught you because the vehicle does not have a road tax and a licence," said Secka. Colley replied, "That was not correct." The case was adjourned for further hearing.