The Brikama Magistrates’ Court recently convicted and sentenced one David Balajo to a fine of D5,000 in default to serve one year in prison with hard labour, for impersonation.
According to the facts as narrated before the court, it happened on 7 March 2012, at the Banjul International Airport when the accused went to the profiling officers of Thomas Cook Airline and presented a British passport No 104821766 with intent to travel to Amsterdam.
After a thorough check of the said passport by the profiling officers, they suspected the accused to be an impersonator because the picture in the said passport did not resemble him and the passport was bearing the name of one Kenet Eku Robert.
The accused was arrested and handed over to the airport police for further investigation and during the investigation, the passport was sent to the British High Commissioner for verification of ownership.
The British High Commissioner sent it back indicating that the said passport was issued to one Kenet Eku Robert.
The accused begged the court to temper justice with mercy, saying he was a first-time offender and was the breadwinner of his family members and also with a wife and her newly-born baby.