In The Case Of Health Ministry Officials Satang B. Houma Testified As PW 1

State First Witness Testifies In Health Ministry Officials Corruption, Forgery, Theft, Conspiracy, and Economic Crimes Trial In the Corruption, Forgery, Theft, Conspiracy, and Economic Crimes trial involving three Ministry of Health officials, the state has called its first prosecution witness (PW1). The accused are Balla Kandeh, Omar Malleh Ceesay, and Muhammadou Lamin Jaiteh, three(3) Health Officials were Arraigned for corruption, forgery, theft, conspiracy, and economic crimes total of 19 charges were brought against them. When the case was called the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) A.M. Yusuf informed the court of the readiness of the state to proceed with the hearing and present their first witness to testify. However, Counsel Lamin L.S. Camara, representing the accused persons, noted that the original indictment lacks the statements of the witnesses expected to testify. Additionally, the voluntary and cautionary statements of the accused persons were also not attached to the original indictment. Counsel Camara requested that the defence be provided with all necessary documents that the prosecution intends to rely upon in the trial before the commencement of the hearing. The presiding Judge Justice Ebrima Jaiteh directed the DPP A.M. Yusuf to ensure the defence is supplied with the required documents they intend to rely on for their preparation. The state Conusel promised to supply all the documents. Subsequently, the state called its first witness, Satang B. Houma, who informed the court that she was the Financial Controller of the Project Coordination Unit of the Ministry of Health. Satang B. Houma, also told the court that she is a Chartered Accountant, and stated that she began working with the Ministry of Health in January 2018. When asked if she recognized the accused individuals, she identified two of them – Balla Kandeh (the 1st accused person), who was the Project Manager of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) when she joined the Project Unit, and Muhammadou Lamin Jaiteh (the 3rd accused person), who was later appointed as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health. Regarding her role as the Financial Controller of the Project Coordination Unit, Satang B. Houma explained that her office is responsible for the financial management of the Ministry of Health. She testified that her unit handles the finances of development partners' projects. "The Program Unit submits requests to the Project Coordination Unit, which verifies whether the requests align with the approved budget. If approved, the funds are endorsed for disbursement by the Permanent Secretary," she explained. At this point, since the defence is yet to receive the witness statements, as well as the voluntary and cautionary statements of the accused persons, Justice Jaiteh instructed the witness to pause her testimony until the defence is provided with the necessary documents. The case was then adjourned to November 8th, 2023, for the continuation of the hearing at 12:00 Source Kexx Sanneh