The lower court in Banjul yesterday granted bail to four former senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, who were earlier arraigned and charged with stealing by clerk or servant.
Dr. Amadou Sowe , Permanent Secretary No.1, Abdourahaman Jobe Permanent Secretary No. 2, Momodou Mbye Jabang, project manager , Bakary L.O. Sonko, deputy director of agriculture at Cape Point and Mustapha Jatta, an accountant, were each granted bail of D500, 000 with two Gambian sureties.
The bail conditions also stipulated that one of the sureties must swear to an affidavit of means, and the accused should also deposit their national ID card with the registrar of the court.
According to the alleged offence, between March and September 2010 at the Ministry of Agriculture at the Quadrangle in Banjul, Momodou Mbye Jabang, by virtue ofhis position as project manager, fraudulently received on various occasions the total sum of D350,606.00 from the Gambia National Agricultural Investment Programme (GNAIP) Fund.
The particulars of the offence against Dr. Amadou Sowe stated that the accused, in the same period and time, as the Permanent Secretary fraudulently approved and received on various occasions the total sum of D314,133.62 from the Gambia National Agricultural Investment Programme (GNAIP) Fund .
The charge sheet against Abdurrahman Jobe alleged that in the same period and time, as the Permanent Secretary No. 2, Jobe fraudulently approved and received on various occasions the sum of D87,400.00 from the Gambia National Agricultural Investment Programme (GNAIP) Fund.
The particulars of offence further stated that Bakary L.O. Sonko, in the same period and time, as deputy Director of Agriculture at Cape Point fraudulently received on various occasions the total sum of D303, 000.00 from the Gambia National Agricultural Investment Programme (GNAIP) Fund.
Whereas the particulars of offence for Mustapha Jatta stated that, in the same period and time, as accountant, the accused fraudulently received on various occasions the total sum of D69,500.00 from the Gambia National Agricultural Investment Programme (GNAIP) Fund.
All the accused persons have denied the charges.
During yesterday’s proceedings, the prosecuting officer, Superintendent Sainey Joof, told the court that the prosecution was applying for an adjournment, adding that the investigation into the case was not completed.
He pointed out that bail was at the discretion of the court to grant to any accused person who appears before the court.
Defence counsel Antouman Gaye alongside lawyer L.S. Camara informed the court that the defence was renewing their previous application for bail and, therefore, urged the court to grant the accused persons bail.
Senior Counsel Gaye said that the accused persons are all qualified to be granted bail, as they have enough sureties to bail them, adding that if the accused persons are granted bail they would be available anytime the court needed them.
The trial magistrate subsequently granted them bail on the above stated conditions.
The case was subsequently adjourned to 22nd February 2011.
