Magistrate George warns surety

Lamin George, senior magistrate of the Banjul Magistrates Court has issued a concrete warning to one Isatou Bah, a surety to Lamin Jammeh, the former CEO of Brikama Area Council, who is standing trial for giving false information to a civil servant.

Magistrate George warned that if the surety fails to bring the accused to court during the next sitting, she will forfeit the whole bail bond and he would thereafter issue a bench warrant for her immediate arrest.

The magistrate pointed out the consequences of serving as a surety, especially if the accused person bailed fails to appear or moves out of the court’s jurisdiction.

The police prosecutor, Sub-Inspector Badjie, at that juncture applied for the accused (Lamin Jammeh) to produce medical documents during the next sitting in order to confirm his alleged sickness, which prevented him from attending the last session. The magistrate granted the application of the prosecution and ordered that the said medical papers be presented on the next adjourned date. The case was adjourned to 16th October for continuation.

According to the particulars, Lamin Jammeh, between the month of January 2007 and March 2008, at Sukuta Jola-Kunda in the Kanifing Municipality, wrote a letter reference MLJ/C08/19/08 informing the secretary general and head of the civil service that his services were unlawfully terminated, which he knew or had reasons to believe to be false, with the intention to cause or knowing it likely to cause the secretary general to either compensate or reinstate him, which the secretary general ought not to do if the true facts were known to him.