By Aisha Tamba
A former Agib Bank branch manager for Jeshwang and Banjul Cherno Beriam Mbackeh was yesterday arraigned at the Kanifing Magistrate Court before Principal Magistrate Omar Janbang, accused of keeping fraudulent accounts and stealing eight million dalasis from the Bank. He denied the charges.
According to police investigator Modou Gaye the police fraud unit launched an investigation into the matter upon receiving the complaint but later realised that the accused person had fled the country to Touba, in Senegal.
The policeman further informed the court that while the accused was in Touba, they reached out to their counterparts in the Senegalese security in a bid to get him apprehended but were told that Touba is hostile to law enforcement officers because the leader of the powerful Mourid sect lives there
However according to the police investigator, they later got information that the accused had in fact come to back to Banjul where upon an operation was launched to arrest him at his house.
”While effecting the arrest we also searched and found some check deposit and withdrawal slips of Agib Bank in his house which were kept for investigation but the accused denied any wrongdoing’,’ the policeman said.
The witness was asked to identify the documents which were later tendered and marked as exhibits A1 and B.
The police investigative report on the matter, dated 7th May 2022 was also tendered as evidence.
At this juncture, the prosecution applied for an adjournment for further testimony from the witness.
The application was granted and the matter adjourned to the 18th and 19th of July.
The principal magistrate reminded the court that the bail of the accused person is extended.
