State yet to receive Agric officials case file

The state represented by counsel Aji Amie Ceesay yesterday told the high court in Banjul presided over by Justice Abi that they are yet to receive the case file of the Agriculture ministry officials from the police.

When the case was called, defence counsel LS Camara told the court that the case was transferred from the Banjul Magistrates’ Court, but the accused were absent because they were not served with the letter of summons.

He also said he was yet to be served with the indictment by the state.

In response, state counsel Ceesay told the court the state was yet to receive the case file from the police, and applied for the case to be adjourned for two weeks for them to get the indictment.

The trial judge said he understood this was the fifth time the matter had appeared before him, and would adjourn the trial for the state to file the indictment.

The case was then adjourned to 29 January 2015, for mention.

The accused persons are Ada Gaye, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fafanding Fatajo, project coordinator at Food and Agriculture Sector Development Project (FASDEP), Omar Jammeh, financial controller of FASDEP, Foday Jadama, deputy director of soil and water management services under the Ministry of Agriculture, and Dr Abdou Ceesay, director of department of Livestock Services.

Readers would recall that the accused persons were on 14 October 2014 arraigned at the Banjul Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Nyima Samateh on an economic crime charge.