Police
prosecutors yesterday withdrew the neglect of duty charge filed against former
cabinet minister Mambury Njie, at the Banjul magistrates’ court before
principal magistrate Hilary Abeke.
When the case was called, the police prosecutor, 1st Class Faye, applied for the case to be withdrawn, adding that there are new charges against him at the high court.
Defence lawyer LS Camara did not object to withdrawing the matter before the lower court.
However, citing the criminal procedure code, the defence counsel it gave the court power to exercise its discretion andacquit the accused person, since the state had called the first prosecution witness to testify, and was cross-examined by the defence.
“I therefore enjoin your worship to acquit the accused person of the charge against him in the lower court,” counsel said.
Our readers would be recall that the prosecutors accused Mambury Njie, that sometime in 2001 as permanent secretary No. 1 at the Office of the President in Banjul, being the officer responsible for economic and energy affairs, he willfully neglected his duties in failing to advise appropriately the Office of the President in the matter of approving the licence for Carnegie Minerals company, and thereby committed an offence.