Police prosecutors in Banjul yesterday pressed fresh charges against Alhagie Jobe, Daily Observer editor, and one Mbye Bittaye, at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Hilary Abeke.
Alhagie Jobe now faces five accounts of making an act with a seditious intention, seditious publication, possession of seditious publication, forgery and false information, while Mbye Bittaye was charged with unlawful inquiries relating to the possibility of forgery.
Both denied the charges.
When the case was called, the police prosecutor, Superintendent Joof, informed the court that the prosecution was applying to amend the charge sheet.
The court granted the application, and the charge sheet was amended.
Count one of the charge sheet read that Alhagie Jobe, between 2012 and 2013 at the Daily Observer Company in the Kanifing Municipality, did an act with seditious intention to wit: published in a purported Daily Observer newspaper of 19 December 2012, a false story that “Major Lamin Touray on the run for imminent re-arrest and detention and charged in absentia for breach of office ethics and codes by refusing to take orders in the execution of some people”, and thereby committed an offence.
Count two stated that Alhagie Jobe, between 2012 and 2013 at the Daily Observer Company in the Kanifing Municipality, published a seditious publication on a purported Daily Observer newspaper of 19 December 2012 to wit: that “Major Lamin Touray on the run for imminent re-arrest and detention and charged in absentia for breach of office ethics and codes, by refusing to take orders in the execution of some people”, and thereby committed an offence.
Count three indicated that Alhagie Jobe, between 2012 and 2013 at the Daily Observer Company in the Kanifing Municipality and various places in The Gambia, without lawful excuse had in his possession a seditious publication, and thereby committed an offence.
Count four read that Alhagie Jobe, between 2012 and 2013 at the Daily Observer Company in the Kanifing Municipality, made a false document with intent to deceive purporting it to be a Daily Observer newspaper of Wednesday 19 December 2012, and thereby committed an offence.
Count five disclosed that Alhagie Jobe, in February 2013 at the NIA office Banjul, informed a panel of investigation that Assan Sallah, Madikhan Jobarteh and Mariama Danjo are involved in seditious publication, an information which he knew to be false and thereby committed an offence.
And count six read that Mbye Bittaye, between 2012 and 2013 at the Daily Observer Company in the Kanifing Municipality, made inquiries in the Daily Observer Company with intent to make a forged document on behalf of Lamin Touray and it was published in the Daily Observer newspaper that “Lamin Touray on the run for imminent re-arrest and detention and is charged in absentia for breach of office ethics and codes for refusing to take orders in the execution of some people”, and printed and published the same in the Daily Observer newspaper of 12 December 2012 edition, with intent to deceive, and thereby committed an offence.
The case was then adjourned till 9 April 2013.
