By Binta A Bah
The Banjul Magistrates’ Court has released seven men who have been held without trial for almost a year at the Mile 2 Central Prisons over drug charges.
They are Habib Bah, Musa Nyang, Muntaga Taal, Pa AmatSallah, Ebrima Jah, Basiru Coker and Samboujang Dibba. Their freedom came after Principal Magistrate Krubally struck out the matter and discharged them due to lack of diligence from the prosecuting officer ASP M Camara of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
According to the magistrate, the matter has been before two of his predecessors without substantial progress while the suspects were languishing in remand for eleven months without trial which he said violates their constitutional rights.
He said despite cautioning the prosecutor to ensure that he lined up his witnesses to ensure the expedition of the matter, he, the prosecutor, kept absenting himself without providing the court with good reasons for his absence and would always give frivolous and vexatious reasons for his absence.
He said it was based on these reasons the court decided to discharge the men and strike out the prosecution’s case.
