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Gambia: Kanilai Farms Verdict Spells 14 Years for Aziz Tamba, Others
Magistrate Pa Harry Jammeh of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court on 18th June 2007, sentenced Aziz Tamba, Mustapha Bojang and Famara Colley to 14 years imprisonment each with hard labour.
The accused were charged with conspiracy and stealing of an amount of D19,587,779.34 while being employees of Kanilai Farm.
In his judgement Magistrate Jammeh told the court that the common denominator for of the accused persons was greed, obsession with unnecessary spending and, more so for Mustapha and Aziz, ignorance. He said all the three accused persons have showed a tendency to showcase their new-found prestigious status in society. He added that while they have the physical characteristics of adults, the accused persons behaved like minors who suddenly found themselves in possession of a gold mine. He observed that because of their naivity, they went about spending money with careless abandon without keeping records of their spending.
He observed that President Jammeh’s name and that of Kanilai were the major generators of the finances of the Kanilai Family farms, ruling that the action of the accused represented the greatest betrayal of trust.
In his plea for mitigation, Famara Colley said that he was a victim of circumstances as his wife was pregnant and could deliver any time. He pleaded that he has children whose survival in his absence concerns him, noting that it was his first time to be brought before a court of law for a criminal offence. He therefore pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
Mustapha Bojang based his plea for mercy on his claim that his mother was sick and admitted at the hospital, aside from the fact that he has four children.
Aziz Tamba pleaded that he was already serving sentence for a similar offence and that his family’s whereabouts is not known. He also appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy.
In his ruling, Magistrate Pa Harry Jammeh sentenced the three to 14 years imprisonment each.
Chief Superintendent Dibba and Inspector-General of Police, Benedict Jammeh, witnessed the ruling.
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