High Court remands former SSHFC MD

The Special Criminal Court in Banjul on Wednesday remanded former Managing Director of Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC), Edward Graham, at Mile 2 Central Prison on an economic crime charge.

Graham, who denied the charge, was first arraigned at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court, where the first prosecution witness started giving evidence in the case, before it was transferred to the High Court.

His lawyer A.A. Bensouda, applied for bail, arguing that the accused has been previously granted bail by the high court when the lower court refused to grant him bail at the initial stage.

However, the trial judge, Justice Ikpala, asked defence counsel Bensouda to produce evidence that her client was granted bail by another court, which, counsel could not produce at that point in time to substantiate her claim.

Graham was subsequently remanded in custody at the State Central Prison until the 29th June 2011, pending the filing of a formal bail application before the court.

Prosecutors alleged that Graham between January and December 2010 in Banjul, being employed in the public service as Managing Director of Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation, willfully caused the loss of D73, 000 to Home Finance Company Gambia Limited.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Mikailu Abdullahi, was at the court for the state.