Corruption, Collusion and Cover-up

Eight months after our investigation, the British national continues to walk free. The police personnel at the child welfare unit at the Brusubi Police Station remain adamant that there is no sufficient evidence to put him on trial. 

But it appears that behind the decision not to pursue justice lies corruption, collusion and cover-up, implicating both the parents and the police. 

In a shocking turn of events, a mysterious illness afflicting Jongfolo has forced the father, identified only as Sankung, to seek answers. He has cooperated with Malagen in an undercover investigation to expose how the police manipulated them in an attempt to bury the case in his daughter’s supposed best interest.

The cover-up orchestrated by the police involved compensation payments, evading journalists, denying their daughter’s abuse, and providing a written statement to exonerate Roy. 

But as Sankung presses for accountability in the wake of his daughter’s illness, the police have resorted to subtly coercing him, sometimes issuing veiled threats. 

When Malagen initially investigated Roy in 2023 over the sex abuse allegations, the police officer handling the case, Kawsu Ceesay of the child welfare unit at Brusubi Police Station, denied any knowledge regarding details of compensation payment made to the parents.

“No, no, because I don’t want to know,” he protested in a chat with a Malagen undercover reporter last year when asked about the amount paid, despite acknowledging the existence of payment. 

However, Malagen has gathered evidence suggesting that Ceesay not only played the middleman, but he also allegedly pocketed a share of the so-called compensation payment. Some of his superiors at the Brusubi Police Station, including Kombo Sillah, the head of the child welfare unit, is caught on tape admitting his knowledge of the payments. 

“He [Dembo, the father of the other girl] brought the money and told me that Ceesay [the police officer] told him [Roy] gave him D25,000. D10,000 for each of us and he took the D5,000,” Sankung revealed. 

The payments were reportedly made on January 3, 2023. This was just three days after the alleged abuse incident when investigations were ongoing. 

“One day, when we were going with the children to the police station, Kawsu called Dembo and told him we should not come with the children. He said there was a [Malagen] journalist there and he would ask them questions,” Sankung disclosed further.

Although Sankung had received the D10,000 payment, he had not yet provided a written statement to exonerate Roy of abusing his daughter. Dembo, Teneng’s father, has reportedly done it. 

For many months, the police, mostly through Dembo, have been calling him to report to the station to give the statement. 

When he finally showed up at the Brusubi Police Station on a sunny morning in October last year, a Malagen undercover reporter was present to witness the exchange. 

Ceesay, who summoned Sankung, was nowhere to be found, but his supervisor, Kombo Sillah, was present. 

“Ceesay I am really tired of this issue now, I swear. Definitely, I am tired of this issue,” Sillah told Ceesay over the phone in an agitated voice after some initial exchanges.  

The reception at this point was far from welcoming. Sankung nonetheless pressed for answers. 

“The reason I have not been here [at the station] all this while, despite the number of times I have been called is because I am at a stage where I cannot lie,” he told the police. “When I came here the last time, I did not see any evidence that nothing happened to my daughter. 

He went on to explain how after he received the money, Dembo called him to go to the police to write a statement that he did not receive any money. 

“But I told him I would be lying if I said that. I told him I was not going to lie,” he said.

In his response, Kombo Sillah admitted that Ceesay told him Roy gave him money to give to the parents as compensation for their inconvenience. 

However, he told Sankung to omit any mention of the so-called compensation to anyone. 

“So now what do you want me to say?” Sankung asked.  

Sillah did not hesitate to tell him to lie. “The advice I can give you is that even if someone comes to your house to ask you about this, they just want you to say something to implicate yourself. Ask the person, why would the white man give me money over something he did not do? Did you give the Toubab [meaning whiteman] any money to give to me? How is that your business?” 

Seeing that Sankung appeared unconvinced about the false testimony being requested, the police officer resorted to using veiled threats to intimidate him.

“If you were to write that [you were given money] and it goes viral, what do you think would happen? They will arrest all of you,” he warned. 

“Even if you refuse, I swear they will arrest all of you because they would say that the Toubab did something, which is why you people took money from him. You have reached old age. Even if you are locked up for three years, it is going to take something away from your life. 

“I will not force you people to write what you do not want me to write, but it is not my problem. The Gambia is a strange place. I know they cannot charge this Toubab for anything. If you were to give a different statement, what would that look like? Even if it happened, all I can tell you is, let the matter rest for the sake of your daughter’s future.”

A huge part of the police’s claim that there is no case against Roy is based on the medical report generated after examining the children following the alleged sex abuse incident. 

Malagen investigation has found out that the police had not only lied about the existence and content of the report, but are also using it to mislead the parents. 

As Sillah tried to persuade Sankung to drop the case, he read out to him this excerpts from the medical report. “No fresh wound was found on her but the hymen was broken a long time ago,” he cited, referring to Teneng’s test result. Regarding Jongfolo’s test result, he stated: “No fresh injuries were found on her but the hymen was broken.” 

He proceeded to interpret what he read: “On this paper, they did not say they saw blood on her. They did not say they saw fresh wounds. The doctor did not say the children had injuries. He did not say that. He did not say he saw bruises. And if this one [Roy] had touched her, there would be bruises. 

“So, this is it,” he added. “We do not know how to handle this matter anymore. Now you people´s problem has landed us in trouble. Because it has gotten to the point that they do not trust Ceesay anymore. They think you people and Ceesay have taken money from the Toubab, that is why you do not want your children to go to court.”

Sankung at this point was visibly torn between confusion and frustration. He turned to the police for guidance. Again, Kombo Sillah asked him to lie, suggesting that he draft a statement like this: “I asked my child if the Toubab has done something to her and she said he has never done anything to her. So, I cannot accuse the Toubab.” 

“Would that not be the end?” Sillah asked, not expecting a response. “We will write it and send the papers to them [police prosecution]. Then, whatever should happen next, you people have no business with that because the Toubab himself told me he did not give you people anything.

"You know we know he has given something, but the Toubab is also trying to… you know. Yes, the law has more power than us, but also you have the right to say you do not want your child's business on social media.”

The threats seemed to impact Sankung. His demeanour when entering the station was different from when he left, even prompting him to question his daughter’s account of events. 

However, when confronted by Malagen a few weeks after Sankung’s visit to the police station, Sillah denied knowing anything about the compensation.  

“I don’t know anything about the money issue between Kawsu and these people. Nothing!” he said. 

He also denied making any attempts to coerce Sankung into making false testimony to protect Roy. “This case was dragged by the parents themselves. I have been calling these people to come and give their evidence, to give their statements, they denied coming. What I’m I going to do? What do you want me to do?” he said. 

When contacted yesterday via telephone, Kawsu Ceesay denied that his superior, Kombo Sillah, ever disclosed to anyone that he was involved in the compensation payment.

"Kombo never told you that," he said. "He would never tell you that I received anything from this man [Roy]."

When we told him that we have evidence; that Kombo Sillah was caught on tape, he said: "Can you please come to my office? Anything you wanna know, Kombo will be sitting down, you will be sitting down."

When we contacted him again on Sunday about the visit to his office, he said: "Let nobody call my number again to enquire...come to my office if you need any information."

However, he would not stay on the line to make arrangements for a visit to his office. He hung up the call, and would not pick subsequent calls.

Meanwhile, a police source familiar with the case has told Malagen that the police high command were aware of the issues surrounding the Roy case, but 'has shown no interest' to pursue it. Instead, they lamented how Malagen engaged in 'entrapment' to get Ceesay to confess to his indictable dealings with Roy and the parents

Editor's Note: The names of victims and parents as well as other identifiable details have either been omitted or changed to protect the identities of the victims in line with the Cherno Jallow Charter of Ethics for Journalists established by The Gambia Press Union (GPU).