accountant Pa Siabo Beyai and the project coordinator, Lamin M.S
Jobe, were Monday arraigned before Magistrate Abeke of the Bundung Magistrates’
Court on four counts of abuse of office, neglecting official duty and economic
crime.
The particulars of offence in count one stated that Pa Siabo Beyai sometime in November 2014, at the West Africa Agricultural ProductivityProgramme (WAAPP) under the Ministry of Agriculture in Abuko in the Kanifing Municipality, by virtue of his position as accountant for WAAPP authorized the giving out of a loan of 2,000 bags of fertilizer [NPK& Urea] worth D 2,260, 000 to one Alhagie Kebbeh (at large), the director of National Youth Association for Food Security, and failed to inform the coordinator, Lamin M.S. Jobe, and thereby committed an offence.
Count two stated that Pa Siabo Beyai in November 2014 neglected his duties by failing to follow the proper procedures in giving out the loan to Alhagie Kebbeh, as stated in the Project Implementation Manual, and thereby committed an offence.
Count three stated that Lamin M.S. Jobe, in November 2014 at WAAPP under the Ministry of Agriculture in Abuko, being employed in the public service and by virtue of his position as the Project Coordinator for WAAPP, neglected his duties of supervising the accountant, Pa Siabo Beyai, properly, and thereby committed an offence.
Count four further stated that Lamin M.S. Jobe and Pa Siabo Beyai in November 2014 at WAAPP without following proper procedure gave the loan to Kebbeh, who failed to pay the outstanding sum of D1,810,000 and thereby committed an offence.
The accused persons denied the charges, and were granted bail on count two and three in the sum of D3 million with two Gambian sureties.
Regarding count one the prosecution made an application to enable them seek the consent of the Attorney General.
Count four on economic crime was transferred to the High Court for trial, as the magistrates’ court lacks jurisdiction.
The trial was adjourned to 22 December 2014, for hearing on count one, two and three.
