The trial of the Babylon 94, which began since April 2008, is yet to progress into a full-scale trial. Yet again on the resumption of the case last Tuesday 26th August 2008 from where it was left, it was adjourned until 9th September 2008.

On the resumption of the case on Tuesday at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court, before Senior Magistrate Edrissa Mbai, the State Counsel, Lawyer Buba Bojang, applied for the State to be given some time, adducing that the State was preparing fresh charges.

He maintained that the said charges were almost ready, promising that the case would proceed at the next adjourned date.

However, the accused persons were all in court, but their counsel, Lawyer Antouman Gaye was not in court.

The accused persons were previously charged with a three- count charge of arson, being armed in public, and conspiracy to commit a felony.

The four accused persons are alleged to have jointly murdered one Ebrima Morro Ndure, a charge they all denied.

Meanwhile, the prosecution applied for adjournment of the case, adducing that the case file had been sent to the Attorney General’s Chambers for legal advice and that he was yet to receive it.

At that juncture, Lawyer Lamin Jobateh, counsel for the 4thaccused person, Ebrima Sanyang, told the court that he would like to have the case file, postmortem report, cautionary and voluntary statements of the witnesses quickly in order to expedite the trial.

He asserted that he would only accept the original copies and not photocopies.

Similarly Lawyer Edu Gomez, lawyer for the rest of the accused persons, buttressed the same points as his colleague, noting that the offence is categorised the highest criminal offence.

The case was then adjourned until 25thAugust 2008 for continuation.

The criminal trial of Musa Suso, the former National Assembly member of Kombo North, could not proceed, yesterday, as the presiding magistrate, Kayode Olajubutu, was said to be on leave.

During the last sitting, Magistrate Olajubutu adjourned the case for ruling on the submissions and counter-submissions by both the prosecution officer, ASP Badjie and Lamin Jobarteh, counsel for the accused person, Musa Suso.

The defence counsel argued for the prosecution to provide them with relevant documents, including cautionary statements of some of the witnesses.

The case was later adjourned to September 8 for continuation of the proceedings.

The embattled former NAM is standing trial on charges of four counts of giving false information to a public officer, contrary to the Criminal Code, Cap 10 Volume III, Laws of The Gambia. However, the accused has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial of Lamin BT Sanyang and Abdoulie Baldeh, former lecturers at GambiaCollege, opened on Monday before Magistrate Lamin George of the Banjul Magistrates Court.

The duo is standing trial for allegedly giving false information to the Office of the President, that the Principal of the college, Alieu Badara Senghorr, and Ms Isatou Ndow, Head of School of Education, committed malpractices and unlawfully terminated their services with the said college.

In her testimony PW1, Ms Isatou Ndow, told the court that she is a civil servant working with GambiaCollege and that she headed the School of Education at the college. She said that as the head of School of Education, she co-ordinated the activities and programmes of the said department at the college. She added that all the teacher training such as Primary Teachers Certificate, High Teacher Certificate and the Early year training programme are been co-ordinated by the school of Education. She identified the accused persons as being former lecturers at Gambia College School of Education, adding that Mr Sanyang taught English while Mr Baldeh taught Science.

Further testifying, Ms Ndow told the court that she was appointed Head of School of Education at GambiaCollege in March 2005. She stated that when she took over as the Head of School of Education, she found that the 1staccused, Mr. Sanyang, was having problem with HTC students and that he had refused to teach for sometime. She revealed that the students wrote a petition letter complaining and she called for the accused so as to talk the matter over with him, noting that the accused subsequently pledged to resume teaching but failed to. Consequently, she went on, she wrote to the Principal recommending that action be taken to address the situation as the students were still upset. The Principal, she adduced, thereafter wrote to the accused but he still refused to teach, thus necessitating the stoppage of his teaching allowance. She said Mr. Sanyang persisted in the refusal to teach and subsequently his service was terminated with GambiaCollege.

The case was at that juncture adjourned to 27thAugust 2008.

The trial of Abubacarr Sallah who is standing trial at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court on charges of criminal trespass and assault could not proceed yesterday as the presiding Magistrate John Njie was said to be indisposed.

Mr Sallah was alleged to have entered into the complainants compound with intent to annoy her and also assaulted her by hitting her with a pestle on her face thereby causing her actual bodily harm.

In a separate development the trail of Bakary Fatty , Alimany Fatty, Musa Jabang and Musa Camara could not also proceed on Monday at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court as the prosecution officer was absent from court.

The four accused persons were alleged to have conspired together at the BanjulInternationalAirport by helping one Bakary Fatty to travel with a passport that does not belong to him.

The cases were adjourned to 26th and 29th August 2008.

Gambia and SK Lierse embattled striker, Assan Jatta, commonly known as Bierhoff, has left American First Division side, FC Dallas, after a ten-day unsuccessful trial.

The MLS giants have passed up the chance to sign the 24-year-old forward after his failure to impress in the eyes of the club’s coaching staff.

“Assan Jatta’s trial was unsuccessful and he’s gone,” a terse statement posted on the club’s website revealed.

Assan Jatta joined  Belgium side, SK Lierse, in 2007 alongside his comrade Mustapha Jarju from Steve Biko. But the athletic striker’s failure to adapt to life at SK Lierse saw him spend the better part of his two-year contract with another second division side, K.F.C. Verbroedering Geel

With his one-year loan spell with Geel expiring last season, it seems SK Lierse are in no mood to keep the injury-plagued forward who has 12 caps to his name.

The trial of Bai Ousman Secka and Mahamadou Batata S. Juwara, former senior officials at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs, resumed last Thursday before Magistrate Lamin George of Banjul Magistrates’ Court.

The case could not however proceed as the first accused, Bai Ousman Secka, and his counsel were not in court.

The duo has been standing trial on charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, making false document, uttering false document and abuse of office.

It is alleged that the accused persons sometime in 2007, while employed in the civil service of The Gambia at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs in Banjul and other places, conspired together to commit a felony, to wit procuring visa with false information and thereby committed an offence.

It is also alleged that the accused persons, on or about 23rd August 2007 at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs in the city of Banjul, with intent to deceive, made a Note Verbal addressed to the American Embassy for the issue of an American visa to one Ms Isatou Njie on the grounds that she was scheduled to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York scheduled for September 2007, which information they knew to be false and thereby committed an offence.

Furthermore the charge sheet stated that the accused persons on or about 23rd August 2007 at the Department of State for Foreign in the city of Banjul, with intent to deceive, made a note verbal addressed to the American Embassy for the issue of American visa to Ebou Manneh on the supposed grounds that he had been officially posted to The Gambia High Commission in New York, which information they knew to be false and thereby committed an offence.

The charge continued that Mahamadou Batata Juwara, while employed at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs, sometime in 2007, with intent to deceive, knowingly presented a false note verbal dated 23rd August 2007 to the American Embassy, knowing the same to be false and thereby committed an offence

It also alleged that the accused persons sometime in 2007, while employed at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs, procured an American visa for Ms Isatou Njie in abuse of their office and thereby committed an offence; that the accused persons sometime in 2007, while being employed at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs, procured an American Visa for Ebou Manneh in abuse of their office and thereby committed an offence.

The case was then adjourned to 21st August 2008.

The trial of Musa Suso, former National Assembly Member for Kombo North, was on Wednesday deferred until 20th August 2008. The case, which was scheduled for a ruling on the defence counsel’s application for the prosecution to provide the defence with all the information they needed to carry on their defence, could not proceed as the Presiding Magistrate, Kayode, was due to proceed on leave, necessitating the transfer of the case.

Musa Suso is standing trial at Banjul Magistrates Court on four counts of giving false information to a public officer, contrary to section 114(a) of the criminal code, cap. 10 volume III, Laws of the Gambia.

It is being alleged that the accused, Musa Suso, in 2007 at police headquarters in Banjul, gave false information to the then IGP, Benedict Jammeh, and the then Crime Management Co-ordinator, that the Director of Prisons, David Colley, had received an unspecified amount of fuel from one Ebou Khan (Musa’s friend) while Musa was incarcerated at Mile II, knowing it to be false or believed it to be untrue at the time.

It is also alleged that Musa Suso in the year 2007 at the police headquarters falsely informed the then IGP and the then Crime Management Co-ordinator, Burama Dibba, that the Director of Prisons, David Colley, had diverted a satellite dish bought by Ndey Conteh for the inmates of Mile II to his personal use, which he knew to be false or believed it to be untrue at the time.

Furthermore Musa Suso is accused of having in the year 2007 at police headquarters in Banjul falsely informed the then IGP, Benedict Jammeh, and the then CMC, Burama Dibba, that the Director of Prisons, David Colley, had fed the carcass of a bull to inmates at Mile II Prisons and that it led to the death of several inmates, which he knew to be false or believed to be untrue at the time.

The offence further stated that in the year 2007 at police headquarters in Banjul the accused, Musa Suso, falsely informed the then IGP and the then CMC that David Colley made his (Musa’s) friend, Sedia Jatta, to paint a prison truck through his influence while he (Musa) was incarcerated at Mile II, which he knew to be false or did not believe it to be true at the time.

Benedict Jammeh, the director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), yesterday, testified in the criminal trial of Burama Dibba, a former crime management coordinator (CMC) of the Gambia Police Force, who has been charged with giving false information to a public officer.

Giving his evidence before Senior Magistrate Kayode Olajubutu of the Banjul Magistrates Court, the NIA boss confirmed that he knows the accused person, Burama Dibba, whom he described as his former crime management coordinator when he was the Inspector General of the Gambia Police Force.

Benedict Jammeh, who appeared as a prosecution witness, also confirmed that he knows David Colley, the director general of the Gambia Prisons Department.

On the terms of reference of a CMC, Benedict Jammeh informed the court that the duties entail reporting on crimes. He added that in matters of investigation, the IGP could assign the CMC, who in turn assigns others to carry out the instruction, adding that the CMC reports to the IGP when an investigation is completed.

He recalled that as IGP, he used to send reports to the Attorney General (AG) Chambers for legal advice. He informed the court that the accused person had never given him any report that concerned David Colley in 2007.

“He had never even mentioned the name of David Colley to me,” the NIA boss told the court.

A team of defence counsel comprising Borry Touray, Lamin Camara, Sheriff Tambedou, Neneh Cham Chongan and Edrisa Suso, jointly lodged a no-case-to-answer submission on behalf of their client. 

In backing their submission, the defence team alluded to Section 166 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), which according to them, gives the court the discretion to acquit the accused if there is no sufficient evidence against him.

“This accused person should be discharged and acquitted by this honourable court with regards to the above stated section of the CPC on the basis of the evidence given in this court,” said Sheriff Tambedou, the lead defence counsel in the trial.

At that juncture, the senior magistrate adjourned the case to August 5 for a ruling on the no-case-to-answer submission.

The ongoing criminal trial involving one Alagie Babou Njie of Brikama, Western Region, who have been alleged to have stolen D2.5 million from his former employer Kanitech is set for hearing on the 11 September 2008.

The case resumed last Thursday 24th July at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court but could not however proceed and was adjourned to the 11th September 2008.