Julakay Granted Bail

Mr. Ansumana Marena, popularly called Julakay, the Managing Director of Julakay Construction and Engineering Company, was yesterday granted court bail in the second case against him at the Banjul Magistrates Court.

In the first case- in which Mr. Marena is alleged to have stolen the sum of D13,587, 782.41 in the month of December 2003 at Arab Gambia Islamic Bank in Banjul, being the property of Julakay Construction and Engineering Company Limited- he was already granted court bail in the sum ofD500,000 with two genuinely employed Gambians as sureties with landed property.

This particular case is due for continuation today.

Meanwhile in the second case where the accused is charged on three counts of stealing a Mitsubishi L 200 motor vehicle with registration number BJL 4695B, valued at D600,000 and belonging to Julakay Construction and Engineering Company Limited; making false document and uttering false document. In this case too he was granted court bail in the sum of D500,000 with two Gambians as sureties with landed property.

Submitting the application for bail, the defence counsel, Borry Touray, submitted that the offence under which the accused person was being charged is a bailable one. He said the accused person is a responsible member of the society, adding that he is a shareholder who doubles as the Managing Director of the said company. He also submitted that while the matter was under investigation, he was granted police bail and had co-operated with the police.

For his part the police prosecutor, ASP Touray, expressed the prosecution's opposition to bail on the grounds that the amount alleged to have been stolen is a huge amount and that the police are yet to lay hands on some of the items.