#Article (Archive)

Gambian arrested for aiding non-Gambian to acquire passport

May 23, 2011, 2:24 PM | Article By: Momodou Faal

Officers of the Gambia Immigration Department last Thursday arrested a Gambian by the name Landing Keita, a resident of Jarra Sukuta in the Lower River Region for filing an application form for a non-Gambian Sidiky Conteh, a Guinea national, to obtain a Gambian passport.

Speaking in an interview with this paper on Friday at his office in Banjul, the public relations officer of the Immigration Department, Assistant Superintendent of Immigration, Ensa Jawara, stated that when the said Landing Keita passed the form to the passport screening office, the form was checked and the officers responsible for the unit discovered that the said applicant is not qualify to get a Gambian passport.

He noted that the officers, after a thorough investigation, referred the matter to the immigration intelligent unit for further investigation.

After completing their verification, the investigators established that the applicant is not a Gambian and also recovered D3,000 for Landing Keita.

According to PRO Jawara, the said Landing later confessed to the officers that the applicant is not a Gambian, that he was just trying to help the applicant, who is his friend.

The matter has however been handed over to the prosecution to handle the case.

PRO Jawara also called on the general public to assist the immigration department in their work, saying people are encouraged to forward information and complaint to the Standard Professional Unit of the Gambia Immigration Department.