Muhammed Al'Amar, the proprietor of Business Digest publications, was Tuesday arraigned along with his colleague before Magistrate Tabally of the Kanifing Magistrates' court charged with five counts of failing to comply with compliance directives by giving food warranty.
The particulars of offence on count one stated that the accused persons on 17th September 2009, at Sultan Sweets Bar and Restaurant, along Kairaba Avenue, being proprietor and managers for the aforesaid Bar and Restaurant, sold food to one Fatou Janneh without giving a warranty to her.
Count two indicated that the accused persons on the same date and place offered or made ready for the sale of the following: one packet of corn grain, three packets of curry powder already cooked, seven packets of spices powder already cooked, twelve bottles of lemon drinks, twelve bottles of pineapple drinks, twelve bottles of egg yellow powder, five bottles of food colours, three packets of curry power raw one, one tin hot dog, a tin of glucose syrup, two buckets of spices containers and a drum of flower, which all at the time had passed their expiry dates.
Count three stated that the accused persons on the same date and place caused for the sale or offered for sale a large pizza to Fatou Janneh, which was unfit for human consumption resulting in the said Fatou Janneh, Maimuna Janneh and Ayee Janneh suffering from serious stomach complications.
Count four revealed that on the same date and place, the accused persons caused for the sale or offered to sell the following: one drum of infected flower, several dirty sandwiches, mixture of rotten and fresh fruits, half roasted chicken stored with fresh fish and other foodstuff and several eggs with fungal growth, which all consist in whole or in part filthy, rotten and decomposed items in the said restaurant.
According to count five, the accused persons on the same date and place stored or caused for the storage and offered to sell the following: dirty sandwiches stored close to stagnant water and remnants of fresh beans and stains of blood stuck in ice in a freezer which were exposed to cockroaches and in an insanitary and unhygienic condition.
The accused persons both pleaded not guilty.
The defence counsel, Moses Richards, informed the court that he was representing the accused persons, as he was just entering the court. He stated that he never knew that the case was coming up on that particular date.
Counsel Richards further indicated that he wanted to go through the charge sheet, and that he knew that the matter was not treated as a criminal case since last year.
He craved the court's indulgence to adjourn the case to enable him to peruse through the charge sheet, because it was defective.
His application was granted and the accused persons were granted bail in the sum of D100, 000 with two Gambian sureties.
The case was adjourned to 25th October 2010 for continuation.
Inspector Mballow represented the IGP.