Prosecution Witness Testifies in Senior Health Officials’ Economic Crimes Trial

Former Ministry of Health Officials at Court

Cherno Omar Barry, former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, has testified as the eleventh prosecution witness (PW11) in the ongoing economic crimes trial involving three senior health officials at the High Court.

The accused individuals—Muhammadou Lamin Jaiteh, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health; Balla Kandeh, Programme Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP); and Omar Malleh Ceesay, Executive Director of HePDO—are facing 18 criminal charges, including Official Corruption, Disobedience of Statutory Duty, Conspiracy, Economic Crimes, Forgery, and Theft.

During his testimony, Barry, a resident of Brusubi Phase 1, stated that he recognized the accused persons. He described Jaiteh as the individual who replaced him at the Ministry of Health, and identified Kandeh as the head of the malaria program. He also acknowledged knowing the third accused, Ceesay.

Barry elaborated on the role of the Ministry of Health, emphasizing its responsibility as the custodian of public health. He highlighted the Global Fund as a key partner, particularly in areas related to tobacco control, drug prevention, and malaria eradication. According to Barry, the Global Fund supported malaria prevention initiatives in 2018, which led to the signing of an agreement that year.

When asked who signed the agreement, Barry confirmed that he did so in his capacity as Permanent Secretary at the time. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), A.M. Yusuf, presented the document to the accused for verification, after which Barry reaffirmed its authenticity.

Subsequently, Yusuf applied to tender the agreement as evidence, a motion that faced no objection from defense lawyer L.S. Camara. The presiding judge, Justice Jaiteh, admitted the document into evidence, marking it as Exhibit P22, which spans 27 pages.

Under cross-examination by defense counsel L.S. Camara, Barry was asked if he had previously provided a statement in the case. He confirmed that he had and stated that he would be able to recognize it. Upon being handed the statement, Barry verified its authenticity. Camara then applied for the statement to be admitted as evidence, a request that the prosecution did not contest. The judge admitted the statement into evidence, marking it as Exhibit D4.

Following this, Camara declared that he had no further questions for the witness, and the prosecution also chose not to re-examine him. With no further testimony required, Justice Jaiteh discharged Barry from the witness stand and adjourned the case to March 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM for the testimony of the twelfth prosecution witness.