By Mustapha Jallow
Ten members of the Gambia Armed Forces, who were involved in extortion, have been dismissed from the army after being summarily tried and found guilty on 6th April 2020.
According to army spokesperson Major Lamin K. Sanyang, the soldiers were summarily tried by their respective Commanders.
He said: “Five navy soldiers were tried at the Navy by their Commander and 5 from the Band were tried at the GAF camp and they were all found guilty – and dismissed from the Armed Forces.’’
“You would not receive anything if you are dismissed from the army. You go home with nothing,’’ he said.
It was earlier reported that a panel of investigators that probed into the case of these detainees have recommended for the suspects to be tried in a Court Martial or summary trial.
“A board was convened to investigate the matter and they have concluded their investigations. The recommendations they gave is to either try these soldiers in a court-martial or take them through a summary trial where they will be ordered and punished or dismissed,’’ Army Spokesperson Sanyang said.
The non-commissioned soldiers were arrested by personnel of the Anti-Crime Unit of the Gambia Police Force within the Senegambia area. They were alleged to have been involved in extortion, army PRO said. Extortion is the practice of obtaining money through force or threats.
