NIA 9 trial: One granted D500,000 bail bond

The 9th accused person, Lamin Lang Sanyang, in the criminal case involving nine former NIA officials before Justice Kumba Sillah-Camara of the Banjul High Court, was on Tuesday granted bail of D500,000 with two Gambian sureties.

The sureties should deposit their title deeds of a landed property within the Greater Banjul Area with the court’s registrar.

The sureties should also swear to an affidavit of means, and the accused person should also surrender all his travelling documents to the court’s registrar.

The nine NIA officials being tried are Yankuba Badjie, former director general of NIA; Louie Richard Leese Gomez, Saikou Omar Jeng, Baboucarr Sallah, Yusupha Jammeh, Haruna Susso, Tamba Mansaray, Lamin Darboe and Lamin Lang Sanyang.

They are charged with 12 counts of criminal offences including conspiracy to murder, murder, assaults causing actual bodily harm, forgery and making documents without authority.

When the case was called, M.B. Abubacarr appeared for the state while the defendants were represented by U. Achigbue, P. Gomez, Moses Richards, S. Kennedy, and D. Dago.

The trial judge then informed the court that there was pending bail application before the court.

The state counsel Abubacarr said he had been served and they were not opposing to the application.

In moving the application, counsel D. Dago said they had filed a bail application pursuant to section 19(5) of the Constitution and section 99 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

They were seeking the order of the court to admit the applicant’s bail pending the hearing and determination of the case, counsel said.

He said they wished to rely on all the paragraphs in the affidavit.

In her ruling, the trial judge said she was convinced that the application had merits and that the applicant would not jump bail.

She therefore admitted him to bail accordingly. The case continues on 24 April 2017, at 12p.m.