Dr Alieu Badara Saja Taal, former Managing Director of the Observer Company and a part-time lecturer at the University of The Gambia, yesterday testified in the ongoing criminal case involving Mam Sait Ceesay, former Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Observer newspaper, presided over by Senior Magistrate Kayode Olajubutu of Banjul Magistrates' Court.

Mam Sait Ceesay is currently facing two count charges of false publication.

In his evidence, Dr Taal informed the court that, he was some time the managing director of the Daily Observer up to November 2007. He said he knew Mam Sait Ceesay (the accused person). He added that as the then managing director, his duties included management of the paper in terms of financial, personnel and content of the paper.

"Because of the nature of the paper in my capacity as the Managing Director, I am supposed to be responsible for publication of any story in the paper" he said. At the time in question, Mam Sait had ceased to be Editor-in-Chief and Dr. Taal was acting both as Editor-in-Chief and managing director of the Daily Observer.

He revealed that on the 5th September 2007, while he was driving, he received a text message on his mobile. He said he then passed the mobile phone to one Pa Ousman Darboe to read the message. " The message read: 'Alex Dacosta Appointed Director of Press and Public Relations (DPPR)' and under the text message, it was indicated Sait. "Upon arrival at Kairaba Avenue, I stopped driving and read the message myself and then asked Pa Ousman Darboe to contact Mam Sait to verify the source of the story to be sure. But Mam Sait was not accessible on his mobile. This was around 12 midnight and based on the nature of the text, we decided to publish the story" Dr Taal explained.

Dr Taal further informed the court that the paper published the information. He at that juncture, identified the original copy of the story published in the Daily Observer dated 7th September 2007.

The caption of the story started on page 1 and continued on page 2 with full text. The copy was tendered and marked as exhibited A.

Dr Taal then stated that he had also made a statement at the police when he was invited.

Responding to cross examination by the defense counsel, Antouman Gaye, Dr Taal affirmed that not all stories published in a newspaper used to have a by-line. He singled out stories such as the editorial which he said, normally don't have by-line. He named Pa Ousman Darboe as the author of the story, adding that he (Dr Taal) has no clue where Pa Ousman Darboe is at the moment, but quickly added that he knew that Darboe is no longer a reporter with the Daily Observer and the story was captioned "JT Kujabi replaced".

When asked where is the mobile phone in question, Dr Taal responded that, when his services were terminated by the Daily Observer in November 2007, he was instructed to return all materials belonging to the Daily Observer which he did, including the said mobile, adding that the said mobile is no longer with him. Further responding to the defense' cross examination, Dr Taal said, a rejoinder story was later published in the following edition of the paper on the 9th September which retracted the 7th September 2007 story.

According to Dr Taal, as usual, retracted stories are meant to apologise for any wrong information published in a paper.

Defense Counsel applied to tender the said retracted story as an exhibit and it was tendered and marked as exhibit B.

Senior Magistrate Kayode Olajubutu, urged the prosecution officer, Inspector Touray to produce his witness or witnesses in court on the next adjourned date of April 7th, 2008, in a bid to avoid peace-meal trial of the case.

The prosecution officer assured the court of his resolved to call his witnesses or witness in court but he noted that he cannot quarantee that all his witnesses can make it in court because he has to summon them.