Njogu Bah appeared in court from Mile 2 Central Prisons, where he is serving a two-year jail term after being convicted by the Special Criminal Court in Banjul in December.
The particular of offence state that Dr Njogou Bah, some time in June 2013 at the State House in Banjul, abused the authority of his office as Secretary General and Head of Civil Service by interfering with the recommendation and posting of one Ms Jainaba Jobarteh to the Gambia’s Permanent Mission at the United Nations in New York without following the proper procedure of nomination, and thereby committed an offence.
The prosecuting officer, Sergeant 3470 Badjie, told the court that the prosecution was applying for an adjournment to enable them call their witnesses.
Lawyer LK Mboge told the court that there was a peculiarity in the state adjourning this matter for four consecutive occaions without any reasons.
He added that the matter had been dragging since 24th December 2013, when it was first registered in court and yet again the prosecutor was applying an adjournment without any reason.
“I submit that the accused person had being denied his fundamental right of fair trial and fair hearing within a reasonable time,” he said.
The prosecution application was unconstitutional and illegal, counsel further submitted.
Counsel Mboge then told the court that he was applying for bail on behalf of the accused person, as the offence allegedly committed was a bailable offence.
The trial magistrate subsequently granted the accused person bail in the sum of D500, 000 with two Gambian as sureties, and one of the sureties must swear to an affidavit of means.
The case was at that juncture adjourned till 17th February 2014 for hearing.
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