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Screensize: 640 x 480 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 UserName: Password: Format Mode: Basic  Help  Prompt  Format: Videos: Font Andale Mono Arial Arial Black Book Antiqua Century Gothic Comic Sans MS Courier New Georgia Impact Lucida Console Script MT Bold Stencil Tahoma Times New Roman Trebuchet MS Verdana   Size 1 2 3 4 5 6   Color Black Red Yellow Pink Green Orange Purple Blue Beige Brown Teal Navy Maroon LimeGreen Message: * HTML is OFF * Forum Code is ON Smilies [quote][i]Originally posted by kobo[/i] [br][b]1.[/b] [b][size=4][url="http://www.foroyaa.gm/burning-issues/14680-daily-observer-deputy-editor-in-chief-denies-charges-against-him"]Daily Observer Deputy Editor-in-Chief denies charges against him[/url][/size=4][/b] Foroyaa Burning Issues News: Thursday, December 05, 2013 Mr. Alagie Jobe, Deputy-In-Chief of the Observer newspaper, has yesterday, Wednesday 4 December, denied all the allegations preferred against him by the prosecution. In his evidence-in-chief before Justice Emmanuel Nkea of the Criminal Division of the Banjul High Court, Jobe said, [i]“I want to deny the entire charges levelled against me. I will never do anything with seditious intention. I have served the Daily Observer for 13 years. I am one of the longest serving editors in the company. I have ever been loyal to the President of the republic, government and Daily Observer as a company.”[/i] Deputy Editor Jobe] told the court that the panel of investigators at the National Intelligence Agency [NIA] had refused to accept his statement that the former Managing Director of Daily Observer, Pa Malick Faye, was the right person to be questioned about the said article. He said he told them that the person whose name appeared on the article was still in town working with the Daily Observer. He adduced that the said reporter has ran away with the former Managing Director out of the country on the same day. [i]“I was tortured all night in a dark room where some of them would light cigarette and off it on my body. The same routine continues the next day,”[/i] said Alagie Jobe, Deputy Editor in Chief of the Daily Observer. Mr. Jobe further testified that the Officer Commanding O/C was shocked when he saw the nature of the wounds inflicted on him and ordered for him to be taken to hospital. He said he was escorted by two officers to the Military hospital along Marina Parade, but was later referred to the RVTH for X-ray. Deputy Editor Jobe told the court that when he returned from hospital at NIA, he found a panel waiting for him. He said he was instructed to copy what they have written down in their notepad as his statement. He said he told them that the notes were not his statement. [i]“During the first and second night of my detention at the NIA, some people came, that I am sure, have interest in this case but I don’t know them. I know this because they asked questions that were so confidential about the Daily Observer,”[/i] he told the court. Mr. Jobe told the court that one of these people told him that he was the one who has caused his former boss (Pa Malick Faye) to abscond. He said he answered in the negative. He said he told the person that he was not the one who appointed him (Mr. Faye) and referred him to the proprietor of the company. At this juncture, he was shown Exhibit C which he said was a laptop belonging to the Observer Company. He said it was meant for official work. [i]“This laptop was the brain behind the Daily Observer. It contains edited and unedited stories and photos for the publication of the paper,”[/i] Deputy Editor Jobe said. Jobe told the court that the said laptop was confiscated by Mr. Kebba Secka, an official of the NIA and another officer from the NDEA. He alleged that the two officers went to the Observer Company during investigation and found the laptop on his desk. He said he was using the laptop for official work. At this juncture, he was told to switch on the laptop which he did. The trial judge ordered him to switch off the laptop as he would later look at it. Ebrima Jah, counsel for Editor Jobe showed the concerned article to his client which he said was posted by the former Managing Director (Pa Malick Faye). Mr. Jobe said it was his policy to edit stories with the reporters, but said this particular story was never published by the paper because it was cancelled. At this juncture, the defense made an application to tender the copy of the Daily Observer published on a date claimed by prosecution. There was no objection from the state prosecutor. Subsequently, the copy of the Daily Observer was admitted and marked as an exhibit. Deputy Editor Jobe argued that all the articles from the former Managing Director were in the archive of the paper. He stressed that he has no ill-intentions as alleged by prosecution against him. He said if that was his intention, they would not have seen it after two months. The Observer Editor refuted the allegation on false information to the NIA about the staff of Daily Observer namely, Assan Sallah, Mariama Danso and Madikan Jobarteh. He condemned the allegations saying it was a mere fabrication. [i]“I never confessed to anyone about the issue of Assan Sallah, Mariama Danso and Madikan Jobarteh,”[/i] he pointed out. Deputy Editor Jobe further refuted the allegation that he was driving rash and negligently during his arrest but said it was the other way round. He alleged that the security officers were the very ones who were driving rashly and negligently by knocking his vehicle which he said was confirmed by one of the prosecution witnesses. He said he has not done anything wrong. [i]“I wish to say that am still a staff of the Observer Company, if these allegations were something true as alleged by prosecution witnesses the company will not spare me until today. They would have served me with a sacking letter,”[/i] he added. However, Deputy Editor Jobe said he has never made any seditious publication. He said the author of the story knows where he got his facts. He said he wanted to make it clear that he never told any panel member or investigator that he was the author of the article. He further refuted the allegation of speaking to anyone outside or meeting anyone as alleged by prosecution witnesses. Meanwhile, the state prosecutor applied for a short adjournment to cross examine the first accused as the evidence was long and she needed time to prepare herself. Subsequently, the case was adjourned till Thursday, 12th December 2013, for cross examination. [url="http://www.foroyaa.gm/burning-issues/14680-daily-observer-deputy-editor-in-chief-denies-charges-against-him"]SOURCE: Foroyaa[/url][hr] [b]2.[/b] [b]Related topic:[/b] [url="http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?whichpage=1&TOPIC_ID=12880#76077"] Pa Malick Faye Sacked as Observer MD[/url] [/quote]   Check here to include your profile signature.