By: Alieu Jallow
Three senior officials from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Health Promotion and Development Organization (HePDO), who were arraigned on charges of economic crime, corruption, theft, and forgery among others at the High Court in Banjul, have pleaded not guilty to counts 16, 17, and 18 which were related to theft.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Muhammadou Lamin Jaiteh, the Programme Manager of the Malaria Control Programme, Balla Kandeh, and the Executive Director of HePDO, Omar Malleh Ceesay, along with Lamin Jarju (now deceased), have entered a plea of not guilty on count 16, which was theft. The charges are related to the alleged theft of D2.1 million, which were funds intended for malaria consultancy. The court has officially entered the case on a plea of not guilty.
According to section 205 of the criminal code, Bala Kandeh, Omar Malleh Ceesay, and Muhammdou Lamin Jaiteh are accused of theft, specifically of Offence 17. The incident occurred between August 2019 and January 2020, during which they allegedly stole D2.8 million meant for malaria consultancy. They have pleaded not guilty, and the court has entered a plea of not guilty.
The accused individuals, Bala Kandeh, Omar Malleh Ceesay, Muhammdou Lamin Jaiteh, and Lamin Jarju (deceased), are charged with theft, which is a violation of section 252 of the criminal code.
The theft occurred between January 2020 and June 2020 in Banjul and various other locations within The Gambia. The total amount stolen was D3.5 million, which was designated for malaria research.
The accused trio pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the court accepted their plea. The case has been adjourned to November 7th, 2023, to allow the state to present a witness.
