Fresh Charges Against NIA Officers, Accused of Stealing D1.6M

The Police have preferred fresh charges against two personnel of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) operative Demba Sowe and Babucarr Jallow.

The two men were yesterday arraigned before Principal Magistrate Edrissa Mbai of the Banjul Magistrates’ Court charged with the offences of abuse of office, stealing and conspiracy to commit felony.

According to the particulars of the offence on count one, the accused persons abused their authority by failing to disclose vital information and recovered exhibits in the case of the State against Christopher Badjie to the relevant authorities an arbitrary act prejudicial to the State and thereby committed an offence.

On count two, the alleged offence revealed that Demba Sowe and Babucarr Jallow on or about 27thFebruary 2008, at Bijilo in the Kanifing Municipal Council stole an amount of one million, six hundred and twenty dalasis (D1, 620, 000) belonging to Christopher Badjie whom they were investigating and thereby committed an offence.

While on count three, the particulars of the offence states that the accused persons being public officers on 17thFebruary 2008 at Bijilo in the Kanifing Municipal Council conspired to steal the sum of one million, six hundred and twenty dalasis (D1,620,000) belonging to Christopher Badjie whom they were investigating and thereby committed an offence.

However the case was later transferred to the Kanifing Magistrates ‘Court, which has the jurisdiction to try the accused persons, as the alleged offences were said to have been committed within the jurisdiction of the KanifingMunicipality.