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Charges against supposed Babylon Alkalo amended

Mar 11, 2011, 11:35 AM | Article By: Yai Dibba-Jallow

The criminal trial against Lamin B. Jarju, the supposed alkalo of Babylon village, and one Bakary Hena Badjie, resumed yesterday at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Babucarr Secka.

When the trial resumed, the prosecuting officer, Inspector Fadera, told the court that the prosecution was applying to amend the charges against the accused persons, by withdrawing the previous charge and substituting a new one.

His application was granted, and the charges were accordingly amended and read again to the accused persons, who again denied the charges.

The particulars of the offence on count one stated that, on 22 September 2010 within the jurisdiction of the West Coast Region, the accused persons, Lamin B. Jarju and Hena Badjie, committed a misdemeanor by making a false document.

Count two stated that the accused persons, within the same jurisdiction of the West Coast Region and on the same date, falsely made minutes of the meeting held at the Kanifing Municipal Council premises on 22 September 2010, and purported same to be the exact minutes of the said meeting held at the KMC, which they knew to be false.

The particulars of offence on count three indicated that, on 6 January 2011 at Babylon village within the jurisdiction of the West Coast Region, the accused person, Hena Badjie, wrote a petition to the Office of the President indicating that the Babylon case has been dragging for many years without justice, and that Lamin B. Jarju had been arrested severally and detained unlawfully by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and remanded for three days at Mile 2 Prison, by the then Magistrate Pa Harry Jammeh without any reason, which information he knew to be false.

The accused persons have since been granted bail.

The case was adjourned until 4th April 2011.