DPP’s Engagement at Court Martial Delays Ousman Badjie’s trial

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By Rohey Jadama State counsel A.M. Yusuf intimated to the court that the Director ofOusman Badjie Public Prosecution (DPP) is presently engaged at the court martial and that he did not leave Ousman Badjie’s Case file with him for the case to proceed.He said this before Justice Simon A. Abi of the Banjul High Court on Tuesday, 17th February, 2015. Lamin S. Camara, counsel for the accused, said that since the file is not with the state counsel they cannot do anything about it. He therefore asked the court to take multiple dates for the subsequent sittings of the case. The case was then adjourned to 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th of March respectively. Mr. Badjie, the former Minister of Works, Transport and Construction, is facing two counts of negligence of duty and one count of economic crime. The particulars of offence on Count One states that Ousman Badjie between 14 and 30 June 2014 in Banjul and diverse places, whilst being The Gambia’s Head of Mission in France, intentionally failed to pursue the case of a stolen Twenty Seven Thousand Euros equivalent to D1, 134,000, involving one Faisal Bojang, with the French Government, an omission which was shown to be detrimental to the economy of The Gambia, and thereby committed an offence. Count Two alleges that whilst serving as the Head of Mission in France, the accused willfully neglected to perform his duty for the French Government to pursue Faisal Bojang, to recover the amount of €27,000 embezzled (equivalent to D1, 134,000). On Count Three, it is alleged that in the same month and year, Mr. Badjie, whilst being The Gambia’s Head of Mission in France, willfully neglected to perform his duty to pursue the police declaration that the signature of the Deputy Head of Mission was forged.]]>