Zygot Oil Company officials trial resumes

The trial on charges of economic crimes and other related offences involving two officials of Zygot Oil Company, a local private firm engaged in processing groundnut oil and cake, yesterday proceeded at the Special Criminal Court in Banjul.

Muhammed S. Jabbie and Firyal Farage Jabbie, both officials of the Zygot Oil Company, are being tried on five-count charges of conspiracy to commit misdemeanor, obtaining goods by false pretence, cheating, stealing and economic crimes.

Continuing his evidence under cross-examination, the prosecution first witness, Mustapha Dibbasey, who was ordered by the court to finish the court with his passport, which he did, denied the defence claims that he had never travel to South Africa.

“Did you bring your passport to the court?” counsel asked, and the witness replied in the positive.

When further asked to show the court the stamp on his passport indicating his arrival and departure from South Africa, the witness said: “I left the Gambia on 1 September 2010  to get my visa from the South African embassy.”

The witness further told the court that he travelled to South Africa, but according to the defence, there is no record on the passport indicating that the witness had travelled to South Africa.

At that juncture, defence counsel, Ida Drammeh applied for the said passport to be photocopied and made available to the defence in order to further cross-examine the material witness, because the defence intended to use it as evidence.

“How many times have you been to South Africa using this passport,” asked counsel, and the witness said, “once.”

He admitted that his last visit to South Africa was on 7 November 2010, but could not say whether his passport was stamped at Dakar airport, when counsel asked whether his passport was stamped at Dakar airport.

“You were given receipts for the payment of $20,000 on 10 June 2010,” counsel asked, and the witness acknowledged receipt of the said money.

The receipt of payment was admitted in court as an exhibit.

The DPP M. Abdullahi, who represented the state, did not raise any objection.

The case was adjourned till 7 March 2012, for continuation.

Prosecutors accused Muhammed S. Jabbie and Firyal Farage of conspiring on diverse dates between the months of April and September 2010, at Kanifing and other places, to obtain US$216, 000 from Mustapha Dibbasey Fadia by false pretence, and with intent to defraud.
According to the particulars of offence on count two, Muhammed S. Jabbie and Firyal Farage Jabbie, on 20th September 2010 at Kanifing in the Kanifing Municipality, by false pretence and with intent to defraud overstated the value of the assets of Zygot Oil Company Limited to Mustapha Dibbasey Fadia, which the accused persons knew to be false and induced him to deliver to the accused US$216, 000 for shares worth D450, 000 only, and thereby committed an offence.
The particulars of offense on count three stated that Muhammed S. Jabbie and Firyal Farage, on 20th September 2010 at Kanifing in the Kanifing Municipality, by fraudulent trick, overstated the value of the assets of Zygot Oil Company Limited to Mustapha Dibbasey Fadia and induced him to pay to the accused US$219, 000 for shares that were worth D450, 000 only, and thereby committed an offence.