By Mamadou Dem &Rohey Jadama
The Banjul Magistrate’s Court presided over by Principal Magistrate Lamin 
Mbaye yesterday granted the prosecution two weeks adjournment to enable them file their address in the false information trial of Mambanyick Njie.
The former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports is standing trial on a single count charge of ‘Giving False Information to a Public Servant,’ contrary to Section 114 of the Criminal Code. He denied any wrong doing.
Readers would recalled that the prosecution alleged that the aforesaid person on or about the 1st day of March 2012, in the City of Banjul, Republic of The Gambia, whilst serving as Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports, petitioned the Office of the President to wit: that the Ex GFA (Gambia Football Association) Executive were engaged in financial malpractices and never gave a thorough account of the imprests given to them for international marches and therefore sought approval to dissolve the said GFA Executive, an information he knew to be false or does not believe to be true and thereby committed an offence. He pleaded not guilty as charged.
Continuing with the cross-examination of the witness, Police Prosecutor Alieu Faye asked: “Do you know that it is against the FIFA rules of conduct for the government to interfere…..?”
But before the prosecutor finished his sentence, senior counsel Antouman Gaye quickly interjected and objected to that line of cross-examination by the prosecutor on grounds that the prosecution was seeking an opinion from the witness; adding that the accused is also not a lawyer. The prosecution then reframed the question and asked: “You will agree with me that the aims and objectives of Gambia Football Association are to promote football and not to destabilize it?”
“That should have been the aim and objective when they were elected into office, but their actions which led to their dissolution defeated that purpose,” answered the accused.
The prosecutor asked, “I’m putting it to you that you maliciously wrote against the then GFA for no reasons?”
“That’s not correct,” replied Njie.
“This is the case of the defence,” Gaye disclosed.
At that juncture, the prosecutor applied for an adjournment to enable him files a written address latest 8th September, 2014.
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