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Gambia to seek extradition of Justice Saffiatou Njie from UK
Yankuba Jambang, Editor & Publisher, Senegambianews.com
Published 03/16/2010
- 6:27 a.m. GMT
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Will the UK gov't send Saffiatou Njie to face Jammeh's Justice?
The Gambia government says it will seek extradition of former High Court judge from the United Kingdom to face corruption charges.
The country's chief prosecutor Richard N. Chenge told a criminal court in Banjul that Justice Department will begin extradition proceedings against former High Court Judge, Justice Saffiatou Njie, who is one of the three Justices indicted on corruption charges.
Justice Saffiatou Njie and two other High Court Judges; Justice Nguie Mboob Janneh and Justice Amina Saho Ceesay, stand accused of complicity in embezzling millions of Dalasis of public funds.
Former judicial secretary Haruna Jaiteh, former senior bailiff Alagie Sonko and Justice Nguie Mboob Janneh, all appeared in court on Monday to take their pleas, although they never did due to lack of legal representation.
Defense counsel for Justice Amina Saho Ceesay, Lamin Camara told the presiding magistrate Mosses Richards his client was ill but will appear before the court in the next sitting.
Sitting continues on March 30, for mentioning and plea taking.
Charges were first brought against the five judiciary officials in October, 2009, following the arrest of Haruna Jaiteh.
Prosecutors say D8,000,000 (about US$310,679.6117) went missing from the Justice Department coffers.
And according to the CID, the funds went missing in the last ten years, when Nguie Mboob-Janneh, Amina Saho-Ceesay, Justice Safie Njie and Haruna Jaiteh were in charge as sheriff, Master of the High Court and Judicial Secretary.
Authorities believe the four must have allegedly embezzled funds generated from court fines, forfeiture and public auctions.
The country's chief prosecutor Richard N. Chenge told a criminal court in Banjul that Justice Department will begin extradition proceedings against former High Court Judge, Justice Saffiatou Njie, who is one of the three Justices indicted on corruption charges.
Justice Saffiatou Njie and two other High Court Judges; Justice Nguie Mboob Janneh and Justice Amina Saho Ceesay, stand accused of complicity in embezzling millions of Dalasis of public funds.
Former judicial secretary Haruna Jaiteh, former senior bailiff Alagie Sonko and Justice Nguie Mboob Janneh, all appeared in court on Monday to take their pleas, although they never did due to lack of legal representation.
Defense counsel for Justice Amina Saho Ceesay, Lamin Camara told the presiding magistrate Mosses Richards his client was ill but will appear before the court in the next sitting.
Sitting continues on March 30, for mentioning and plea taking.
Charges were first brought against the five judiciary officials in October, 2009, following the arrest of Haruna Jaiteh.
Prosecutors say D8,000,000 (about US$310,679.6117) went missing from the Justice Department coffers.
And according to the CID, the funds went missing in the last ten years, when Nguie Mboob-Janneh, Amina Saho-Ceesay, Justice Safie Njie and Haruna Jaiteh were in charge as sheriff, Master of the High Court and Judicial Secretary.
Authorities believe the four must have allegedly embezzled funds generated from court fines, forfeiture and public auctions.
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