Kanilai Farm Convict's Sentence Reduced

Mustapha Bojang, one of the convicts in the Kanilai farm case, has had his sentenced reduced by the Banjul High Court following his appeal against the sentence.

Delivering her Judgement the presiding Judge, Justice Naceesay Salla-Wadda, stated that the judgement was in respect of the appeal filed by the appellants against their conviction and sentence by Kanifing Magistrates' Court. She said the appellants were each sentenced to 14 years imprisonment, adding that after hearing the case by both the appellants and the state respondent, the court found that the appeal filed by Famara Colley was incompetent and therefore dismissed.

She said that in respect of Mustapha Bojang, the court had gone through the trial court's proceedings and found that the appellant was a first time offender. She stated that the High Court would impose the sentences to run concurrently instead of consecutively as imposed by the trial court. This means that Mustapha Bojang would now serve seven years imprisonment.

It could be recalled that Famara Colley and Mustapha Bojang were last year sentenced by the Kanifing Magistrates' Court to 14 years imprisonment after being found guilty of stealing the sum of D19.5m being the property of Kanilai Family farm.