Essa Faal took a moment out to warn businessman Sillah-Ba Samateh that it’s a criminal offence to lie to the TRRC.
Samateh began his testimony before the probe on Monday which centres around his 2010 detention at the National Intelligence Agency over claims he was dealing in drugs.
But 50 minutes into his testimony, Essa Faal looking attentive to detail read the law to the businessman.
“You see, that is not in your statement. In your statement, you said ‘we were asked about the drug transactions, we were later taken to Mile 2 where we spent a couple of days’,” Mr Faal said when Samateh testified that he wasn’t ‘aware’ of anything after a room he was put in at the NIA was sprayed.
“I know whatever I am saying here is the truth,” Samateh in responding said.
“Are you suggesting that whatever you may have said outside may not be the truth,” Essa Faal asked.
Samateh replied that could only Faal say that his written statement came short but “whatever I say here is the truth”.
“But I find it strange that you could not remember that the room was sprayed with some substance and you could not recall anything else until you woke up at Mile 2 prisons. It’s quite strange that you could not remember that fact when you spoke to the investigators,” Mr Faal fired back.
In responding, Samateh said: “That’s why I said unless I add to my statements but whatever I say here is the truth.”
“I am not disputing the truthfulness of what you’re saying but I have to warn you that it is a criminal offence to lie under oath, it is also an offence to provide false testimony to the truth commission. Do you understand that?” Faal then said to which Samateh replied: “Yes I understand.”
