By Landing Ceesay
Hon. Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of the Gambia’s High Court has granted bail to five Gambian nationals facing conspiracy charges in an ongoing drug trafficking trial.
The Gambians granted bail are Seedy Ceesay (5th accused), Lamin Ceesay (6th accused), Yaya K. Jatta (7th accused), Modou Bojang (8th accused), and Muhammed Jallow (9th accused). They stand charged alongside four Portuguese nationals: Vilma Cabral Roel (1st accused), Ana Patricia Dos Santos Furtado (2nd accused), Simara Nadiya Martins (3rd accused), and Miriam Maria Mendes (4th accused).
The Attorney General has filed three criminal charges against the accused: Aggravated Drug Trafficking under Section 43(a) of the Drug Control (Amendment) Act 2011, Dealing with Prohibited Drugs under Section 33(1)(c) of the Drug Control Act Cap 13:05 Vol. III, Revised Laws of the Gambia 2009, and Conspiracy to Deal with Prohibited Drugs under Section 53(1)(a) of the same Act.
Defense attorneys for the five Gambians submitted bail applications, to which the State raised no objection. Hon. Justice Jaiteh approved these applications under stringent conditions.
The bail conditions require the 5th to 8th accused to post bail of D600,000 each, while the 9th accused, Muhammed Jallow, was granted bail at D300,000. Each accused must also provide a Gambian surety who will submit an affidavit of means for the same amount and own a property valued at no less than the bail sum.
“The Accused Persons shall each provide one Gambian surety who shall swear to an affidavit of means in the like sum and be an owner of a landed property whose value should not be less than the bail sum. The sureties’ properties shall be valued by a recognized estate valuer or a government estate valuer and the valuation report shall be on or after the order of this court,” Hon. Justice Jaiteh ordered.
Additionally, the property valuations must be conducted by a certified estate valuer and approved by the Principal Registrar before the accused can be released.
Justice Jaiteh also mandated that the accused attend all court proceedings promptly until the trial concludes. The case is adjourned to November 12, 2024.
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