A man was yesterday convicted and sentenced to mandatory jail term of two years six months with hard labour by the Brikama Magistrate’ Court presided over by Principal Magistrate Abeke.
Sulayman Njie, a resident of Brikama Madina Salanding, pleaded guilty to giving false information to a public officer, and on two counts of obtaining money by false pretence.
The police prosecutor, 358 Ensa Sarr, narrated the facts as per the charge sheet, which the convict accepted as true and correct.
In his plea of mitigation, the convict begged the court to temper justice with mercy. He said he knew very well that what he did was wrong, and would never do it again.
The particulars of the offence on count one, stated that the accused person, Sulayman Njie, in February 2011 at the communities of Pirang, Dobong, Bonto and Tonborongokoto village and diverse places in the West Coast Region, told the alkalos of the said villages that he was sent by the Gambia Government for the rural electrification project, which he knew to be false.
Count two stated that in the same month and year at Pirang village, the accused obtained D700 from the community of Pirang, which he said was going to be used to transport his staff to work on the rural electrification project.
Count three revealed that the convict on 4th February 2011 obtained, at Dobong village, an amount of D300 from the village alkalo with the pretext that he needed to fuel his vehicle, which ran out of fuel while transporting his workers to Dobong village.
