According to the prosecuting officer, Camara, the accused person was earlier arraigned before the court and later granted bail in the sum of D350,000 or three Gambian sureties who should swear to an affidavit of means, and deposit their ID cards with the registrar of the court.
He posited that the accused has not been attending the court proceedings, further stating that the sureties knew that if the accused absconds, they must show cause why they should not forfeit the bail bond to the state.
The presiding magistrate at this juncture asked the sureties the whereabouts of the accused. In response, they told the court that the accused has travelled to Kaolack, Senegal. “Do you know that if the accused absconds, you should show cause why you should not forfeit the bail bond to the state? This is the law. It is now one month two weeks and the accused has not appeared in court. What do you say about that?” she asked.
One of the sureties, Mr. Njie, told the court that he never knew that they should forfeit the bail bond to the state if the accused absconds but later confirmed that the Assistant Registrar had informed him that they should forfeit the bail bond to the state if the accused absconds. “I was called and asked to bail the accused without knowing the implication. I only knew it after I stood as a surety for the accused,” one of the sureties told the court. The third surety informed the court that she knew nothing about the bail bond.
The case was adjourned to the 24th May, 2024, for ruling, to give the sureties enough time to search for the accused.
