A Senegalese national has been convicted of spying and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, with the option of D8,000 fine by Magistrate Mboto of the Banjul Magistrates Court.

Suwaibou Njie’s incurred the wrath of the law after he had pleaded guilty to two counts of spying contrary to Section 37(1) of the Criminal Code and Economic Crime.

According to the prosecution, Mr Njie between the months of January and February 2008, in the city of Banjul, communicated an information about the route of a loaded Gambian canoe with goods to one Pap Jallow and his colleagues at the Senegal Customs, which led to its seizure by the Senegalese Custom officers.

Mr Njie was also convicted for causing economic loss to the Republic of The Gambia, after communicating the same information to Senegalese Customs.

In his plea for mitigation, Mr Suwaibou Njie begged the court to exercise mercy on him, saying he is a family man and had already spent sometimes in custody as a result of which his wife and children do not know his whereabouts.

Delivering ruling on the case, Magistrate Mboto said the accused was convicted on count 1, but count 2 cannot be sustained because, it has to be determined where the seizure of the goods took place.

The magistrate then went ahead to convict and sentence the accused and expressed the need to stop what she described as “rampant Senegalese spying” in The Gambia.