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Fisheries official seeks bail review

Mar 20, 2015, 11:12 AM | Article By: Halimatou Ceesay

Famara Darboe, an official of the Fisheries department, yesterday appeared before Justice Abi of the High Court in Banjul seeking a review of the bail conditions.

When the case was called, the state, represented by R. Dougan, told the court she did not see the case file.

At that juncture, the defence counsel, S.M. Tambedou, called the DPP on phone outside the court to ask him about it.

Upon returning to the courtroom, counsel Tambedou told the court that he had spoken to the DPP, but the DPP told him he had assigned A.M Yusuf to conduct the case and that he told him that A.M. Yusuf was not in court.

He said the DPP then suggested that they should take a date, which happened to be the suggested date of Monday 23 March 2015.

The applicant, Famara Darboe, was granted bail by Justice Abi in the sum of D5 million with two Gambian sureties.

The bail conditions further stated that each of the sureties shall swear to an affidavit of means and must be the owner of a landed property of value not less than D2.5 million.

Defence counsel S.M. Tambedou filed the motion for a review of bail conditions on 10 March 2015.

Meanwhile, the state was yet to respond to the motion.

The case was then adjourned to 23 March 2015.

Famara Darboe and other fisheries officials from the Ministry of Fisheries were indicted with an eleven-count charge, including economic crime, abuse of office and neglect of official duty, before Magistrate Samsideen Conteh of the Banjul Magistrates’ Court.