By Kebba Secka
The Bundung High Court presided over by Justice M.S.M. Jallow on Tuesday December 22nd 2020, granted bail to under aged boys following their violent robbery charge which was mentioned before Brikama Magistrates Court earlier this month. The said Court referred the matter to the High Court in Banjul for lack of jurisdiction to hear capital offences like violent robbery, and remanded them at the Mile II prisons instead of the Juvenile wing at Jewsang prison in the Kanifing Municipality.
The application was not objected to by the State Counsel and the Trial Judge granted the application after warning the boys. He warned them to desist from any act that will lead them to any other criminal prosecution and to look up to persons with good characters as their role models, in order to become productive members of their families and communities.
When the case was called, the state failed to prepare the bill of indictment upon which the accused persons are to be charged so that the matter can be heard before the High Court. This is because the Court will strike out the old charges pending the state’s provision of indictment.
Counsel Yankuba Darboe in his application for bail, filed a twenty three paragraph of affidavit as support to seek among other things, the release of the applicants from custody, upon entering into recognizance with or without sureties, on condition for their appearance before any Court, where the charges preferred against them can be heard.
The applicants relied on Section 19 of the Constitution and Section 99 of the Criminal Procedures Code, to make his bail application and have to deposit fifty thousand dalasi with two Gambian sureties at the Registrar of the High Court in Banjul.
Effective Wednesday 23rd 2020, it is announced that the High Court will go on Christmas vocation and have since referred all urgent matters to the vocation judge at the High Court premises in Banjul.
