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Judgment postponed in former SG Njogu Bah and Co

Dec 18, 2013, 9:56 AM | Article By: Malamin L.M. Conteh

The highly-anticipated judgment in the trial involving former Secretary General Dr, Njogu Bah, former Attorney General Lamin Jobarteh and former Solicitor General Pa Harry Jammeh was yesterday postponed.

Presiding judge Justice Emmanuel Nkea adjourned the judgment to Monday 23rd December 2013.

The trio are being tried under a three-count which included conspiracy to carry out a lawful purpose by an unlawful means, giving false information to a public officer, and abuse of office, charges they had denied.

When the case was called yesterday in a packed courtroom, including relatives of the accused persons, the trial judge informed the court that the judgment was not ready, and set 23 December 2013 as the new date for judgment.

Lamin AMS Jobarteh, Pa Harry Jammeh, and Dr Njogu L. Bah, were accused in count one that, between January and February 2013, in the Banjul City Council, within the jurisdiction of the court, conspired among themselves to remove Justice Wowo, a sitting Judge of the Court of Appeal of The Gambia by an lawful means, to wit, orchestrating his arrest, detention and mock trial, and thereby committed an offence.

In Count two, Lamin AMS Jobarteh, Pa Harry Jammeh, and Dr Njogu L. Bah, were alleged that in January 2013, in the Banjul City Council, within the jurisdiction of the court, with intent to cause the termination of the service of Justice Wowo, fed John Belford( in his capacity as the Judicial Secretary of The Gambia) and the members of the Judicial Service Commission of The Gambia with information to the effect that his Excellency, the President of The Gambia had directed the termination of the appointment of Justice Wowo, knowing the information to be false and thereby committed an offence.

Lamin AMS Jobarteh, Pa Harry Jammeh, and Dr Njogu L. Bah, were further alleged in count three that, between January and February 2013, in the Banjul City Council, within the jurisdiction of the court, whilst in their offices as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of The Gambia, and Solicitor General of The Gambia, and Secretary General and Head of Civil Service of The Gambia, respectively, abused the authority of their respective offices, by arbitrarily causing the arrest detention, and termination of the appointment of Justice Wowo, and thereby committed an offence.