Court Fines Businesses for Sale of Plastic Bags

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By Kebba Jeffang Magistrate Bojang of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 28th July, 2015 fined more than ten businesses for the sale of plastic bags within the Greater Banjul Area upon their guilty pleas. Proprietors of businesses such as Kairaba Shopping Centre, Harry’s Supermarket and whole sale shops within Banjul, Kanifing Municipality and West Coast Region (WCR), who were dragged to court for selling and using plastic bags which were banned by an executive directive, were asked to pay a fine of Three Thousand Dalasi (D3, 000) each or in default to face a jail term of two months. Reading out the statement of offence to the accused persons separately, the court clerk said the defendants are charged with “Sale and use of plastic bags in the Gambia contrary to Section 4 Subsection (B&C) of the ban on plastic bags order (2015)”. She said the particulars offence states that “For that you did on or about 21st July, 2015 at Serekunda and surrounding places in the Kanifing Municipality in the Republic of the Gambia, you unlawfully and willfully sold and used plastic bags, a banned product in the Republic of the Gambia, thereby causing an offence”. All the defendants pleaded guilty as charged. In delivering the judgment, the trial magistrate fined them to pay D3,000 or face 2 months jail term.]]>