Three Marabouts: Basiru Bah, Sulayman Bah and Alkali Sallah appeared in court today 20 January before Magistrate E. J. C. Colley of the Kanifing Magistrate Courts.
Marabouts are religious people belived to have mystic power and insight in solving life challenges.
They are jointly charged with conspiracy to defraud and obtain money by false pretense.
In his testimony, second defense witness, Sulayman Bah testified that he is a marabout by profession, and that he lives in Nema Kunku.
He recounted his ordeal saying that sometimes in May 2016, a group of police CID officers came to his house and told him that he was needed at the Serekunda Police Station. “I went with them but I did not know why I was arrested because they did not give me any reason for my arrest. When we reached the station, I was asked to do a finger thumb print and I refused, and I was then compelled to do so which caused me to sustain hand injury,” he explained.
He added that he was then taken to the Jeshwang Prison where he spent 3 years 9 months without bail. “While I was in detention at the Jeshwang Prison, my house was broken into by unknown individuals, taking away D150,000 and about 125,000 CFA which I had kept. My three new mattresses, a suitcase full of new female clothes plus one kilo gram of gold were all taken from my house” he revealed to the court.
The accused persons were charged with two counts. The first count stated that Basiru Jallow, Sulayman Bah and Alkali Sallah sometimes in May 2016 at Serekunda and diverse places in the Kanifing Municipality of the Republic of the Gambia conspired to commit a felony therein to wit, obtaining money by false pretence, thereby committing an offence.
Count two stated that the three accused persons obtained money by false pretence contrary to section 286 of the Criminal Code Cap 10. 01 Volume III laws of the Gambia. It further stated that sometimes in May 2016 at Serekunda and diverse places, the trio frauded and obtained the sum of D700,000 from one Modou Lamin Jarju with the pretext that they were going to change his financial status and his life to a better living standard which representation they knew or have reasons to believe that such representation is false and they knew it to be false at the time of making such representation thereby committing an offence.
The matter was adjourned to 7th February 2022 for the continuation of testimony. The IGP was represented by sub-inspector Lamin Jammeh while Lawyer Edward Gomez represented the accused persons.
