GTU President Charged With False Information, Granted Bail

By Mamadou Dem Mr Ousman Drammeh, the president of The Gambia Transport Union was yesterday dragged to court by police prosecutors in Banjul for allegedly giving false information to the office of the Secretary General, Head of Civil Service and Presidential Affairs Minister.Mr Drammeh who pleaded not guilty to the four count charges meted out against him was consequently granted bail in the sum of D200,000 without objection from the prosecution. Magistrate Fatou Darboe of the lower Court in Banjul further ordered the accused to provide two Gambian sureties to deposit their national identity cards, swear to affidavit of means of the sum. The accused was further conditioned to submit his travelling documents with the registrar of the court. According to the particulars of offence, on count one, prosecutors alleged  that Mr Drammeh in May last year wrote a petition to the office of the secretary general and head of civil service and Minister for Presidential Affairs claiming that Mumine Sey, the current president of The Gambia National Transport Control Association(GNTCA) and Sheriff Dibba, the secretary of the association connived with senior police officers at Banjul police station to forcefully remove Filijeh Nyassi as the president, the information he knew or  believed was false and thereby committed an offence. Count two revealed that the accused Mr Drammeh in the same year petitioned the office of the secretary general and head of civil service claiming that the president of GNTCA, Mumine Sey collaborated with senior Custom Officers  to load vehicles with goods from The Gambia Ports  claiming such to be on transit  trade just to park such vehicles on  the street for two to three days and finally discharged the same in a store in The Gambia, load another goods bought within The Gambia and such vehicle moved as facilitating the transit trade, the information he knew was false. Count three stated that the defendant, Mr Drammeh wrote a petition to the secretary general and head of civil service claiming that the president of the said association collected monies from sixty five car parks (Garages) in the Kanifing Municipality for fifteen years without accounting for it, information he knew to be false and thereby committed an offence. Count four of the indictment alleged that the accused wrote a petition to the office of the secretary general and head of civil service claiming the president of the transport control association has liberalized The Gambia transport sector by giving priority to Foreign  Trucks than  Gambian own trucks among others , information he knew to be false. Subsequently, the matter was adjourned to 17th of this month for hearing. Meanwhile, the accused is yet to secure legal representation.]]>