Student Convicted of Forgery

• Posted by Modou S. Joof on January 23, 2010 at 8:42pm
• View Modou S. Joof's blog

Banjul, The Gambia (TNBES) A student of Quantumnet Institute of Technology has been fined D4, 500 in defauld, he will serve one year six-months inprisonment.
Lamin Janneh, who is pursuing an Advance Diploma in Information Technology was standing trial before Principal Magistrate Joseph Ikpala of Kanifing Magistrates' Court, on two counts of forgery and obtaining money by false pretence Contrary to Section 322 and 288 of the Criminal Code.
Count one stated that Lamin Janneh on 5th January, 2010 at Eco Bank Gambia Limited Head Office, Kairaba Avenue by false pretence and intented to defraud and forge the authorized signature of West African Pramic Hearty Foundation.
Count two has it that Lamin Janneh by false pretence and with intent to defraud and withdraw D10, 000 presented a filled debit ticket with a forged signature of West African Pramic Hearty Foundation.
The incident is said to have happened on the 4th January, 2010 when the accused went to Eco Bank at Westfield where he met one Bakary and inform him that he lost his bank book. He was then advised to go to the Eco Bank Head Office opposite Africell on Kairaba Avenue.
Upon his arrival at the said bank, he picked up a copy of a debit slip file with only the account number. According to Janneh, one of the filers gave him the details of the account holder name from where, he went to Eco bank at Westfield branch where he filed a debit slip and withdrew D10,000 from an account named 'West African Pramic Hearty Foundation'.
The Bank later detected the incident on the following day. The accused was arrested after he returned to the bank on a day after. He was taken to the Serrekunda Police Station and later referred to the Fraud Squad at the Police Headquarters in Banjul, where he was caution and charge inline with the offence committed.
In his plea of mitigation, Lamina Janneh begged the Court to temper justice with mercy, citing that he is a student of Quantumnet Institute of Technology, where he is pursuing an Advance Diploma in Information Technology.
Passing the judgment, the presiding Magistrate, Ikpala noted that the accused is a young man but he knows that he is not an account holder of that amount.
On his plea, he said the accused is a first time offender; nonetheless, he deserves some punishment. He also advised him to distance himself from such acts and concentrate on his studies. VOL:2 ISSN:44