A former managing director of the Gambia Printing and Publishing Corporation (GPPC) and a former finance director of the same company have been charged with economic crime and abuse of office.
Cherno Gaye and Dodou Nasso were arraigned before
the Banjul Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. They are yet to take their plea.
On Jan. 17, 2013, Magistrate Momodou MS Jallow,
presiding, ordered for the case to be transferred to the Special Criminal Division
of the High Court in Banjul, the capital.
Jallow admitted his court
lacks the jurisdiction to try economic crime.
Magistrate Jallow further ordered for the accused
persons to be held in custody pending their arraignment at the high court.
Count one: The accused
persons are charged with economic crime (Specified offences) Act contrary to
Section 5 (f) of the Economic Crime Act Cap 13:07, Volume III, Laws of The
Gambia 2009.
Police prosecutors
alleges that sometime in 2009 and 2010 at the GPPC in the Kanifing
Municipality, the two intentionally and unlawfully approved loans without
deduction, payment of sitting allowances without approval and payments of
salaries to persons who absented themselves without leave.
This, the prosecution
alleges causes financial losses of D1, 149, 054.82 to the economy of The
Gambia, and the accused persons thereby commit an offence.
Count two: The accused
persons are charged with abuse of office contrary to Section 90 of the Criminal
Code Cap 10:01 Volume III, Laws of The Gambia 2009.
The prosecution also
alleges that sometime in 2009 and 2010 at the GPPC in the Kanifing
Municipality, the two, being employees of the GPPC as managing director and
financial director respectively, abused the authority of their offices, by
approving loans without recovery, payment of sitting allowances without approval,
and payments of salaries to persons who absented themselves without leave.
The prosecution said the
accused persons don’t have the authority to do so and thereby commit an
offence.
Follow on Facebook: The-North-Bank-Evening-Standard
Written by Modou S. Joof
No comments:
Post a Comment
The views expressed in this section are the authors' own. It does not represent The North Bank Evening Standard (TNBES)'s editorial policy. Also, TNBES is not responsible for content on external links.