NIA Diamond Case Drags On

The prolonged diamond case involving six former National Intelligence Agency operatives has stalled once more. On the resumption of the case on Monday, June 11 2007, the state counsel, Umar, informed the court that he had agreed with the defense counsel for a date to be taken as one of the defense counsels in the case, Lawyer Jorbateh, had travelled to Basse to attend High Court proceedings there.

Magistrate Moses Richards in his reaction told the state counsel that if the defense counsels were to be accommodated throughout, the case would not end adding that it is not in the interest of the accused persons for the case to keep dragging.

Magistrate Richards stressed that whether or not the defense counsels were present on the next adjournment date, the case would proceed.

It could be recalled that since the appointment of the former Magistrate Kebba Sanyang as Attorney-General and Secretary of State for Justice, the case never took off from where it was left.

The former NIA operatives were alleged to have stolen over $206,000, eight pieces of diamond stone and mobile phone from two German nationals in the month of June 2005, at Senegambia beach hotel. They were also accused of abuse of office and criminal tress pass.

Hearing continues on 21 June 2007.