Former GIA boss case stalls

When the case was called, the court clerk told the court that Justice Ikpala said he received a letter of transfer to Basse, and as such would not preside over cases before him.

Readers would recall that the accused person was arraigned at the Banjul Magistrate Court on Tuesday 21 October 2014, before Magistrate Dawda Jallow on a six-count charge ranging from theft and economic crime to abuse of office and neglect of official duty.

According to count one, the accused, Bakary Nyassi, in October 2011, at The Gambia International Airlines (GIA) in Yundum in the West Coast Region, received one hundred and twenty thousand dalasis from the director of finance at GIA as allowances, to escort the 127 APRC pilgrims to Mecca in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which was cancelled and the said allowances were not returned to GIA, causing economic loss to the government.

Count two stated that Bakary Nyassi, in 2007 and within The Gambia, while holding public office, corruptly or dishonestly abused the office for private benefit by registering or facilitating the registration of a private aviation-related company to wit Gamjet and Basikom by holding 27% and 12% shares, thereby committed an offence.

Count three stated that the accused in October 2011, at Gambia International Airlines’ premises at Yundum in The Gambia, received D123,000 as per diem allowances from the GIA Finance Department to escort 127 APRC pilgrims to Mecca in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which was cancelled and the accused fraudulently converted same for his own use, thereby committed an offence.

Count four stated that the accused in 2007, at Lamin village in the Kombo North District of the West Coast Region and diverse places within the The Gambia, being employed as director of operations and managing director of GIA, established a business company called Gamjet that has similar aviation-related matters with GIA, thus competing the interest of GIA, and thereby committed an offence.

Count five stated that the accused between 2007 and 2014, at Lamin village, in Kombo North of the West Coast Region, and diverse places within the West Coast Region, being employed as director of operations and managing director of GIA, neglected his duty by failing to declare to his permanent secretary (authority) of his establishment’s involvement in private business, which is contrary to the code of conduct of the public service, and thereby committed an offence.