By Binta A Bah
Landing Sonko, who was convicted of stealing more than half a million dalasi from Reliance Financial Services, has asked high court judge Bakre to set aside a judgement made against him by a lower court in the North Bank Region.
He is contending that the magistrate’s sentence exceeds what is provided for in the law and that the judgement is against the weight of evidence adduced during the trial.
He said the magistrate was wrong in attaching higher probative value to the evidence produced by the prosecution, adding that he erred in law in sentencing him that harsh.
In March 2020, Sonko was charged with stealing by clerk before the Essau Magistrate Court. He was accused of stealing D550,000 while working for Reliance Financial Service Barra branch as a teller which came into his possession by virtue of his employment.
He pleaded not guilty but was found culpable by the Essau Magistrates’ Court at the end of the trial.
The court fined him D40,000 in default to serve three years in jail. He was also ordered to return the D550,000 he allegedly stole within two weeks.
The court is expected to hear his appeal in May.
