Justice Abi gave the order yesterday afternoon after the two men, Mr Demba Sowe and Mr Alpha Kante failed to appear in court.
They are standing trial on seven counts of conspiracy to defraud, obtaining money by false pretence, uttering false documents, forgery and cheating together with four others including a marabout and a woman. The four others are; Sheikh Dawda York, Ebrima Kebbeh, Kemo Fatty and Oumie Saffiatou Diallo.
Issuing the warrant, the judge said the two men who are on bail should be arrested anywhere they are seen and detained. He further ordered that they should appear in court on the next adjourned date to show why their bail should not be revoked.
His order came after the state prosecutor applied for the arrest warrant. The application was challenged by Lawyer Moses Richards who represents Mr Sowe. Richards argued that the application was ‘misleading’ and ‘lacked merits’. “It is nothing other than speculation for prosecution to say that it has become a style for the accused to absent himself from court. We urge you in the interest of justice to adjourn the case and the application for bench warrant be set aside,’ Richards added before the judge ruled in favour of the prosecution.
Prosecutors charged that the accused persons conspired among themselves to deceive Mr Muhammed Tunkara, a Gambian based in the UK and his partner by collecting US$161,000 equivalent to D6,273,000 on the pretext that they were going to sell 50 kilos of gold valued at US$1.5 million to them. They are further accused of making a false document of 50 kilograms of gold dust from Guinea Conakry which they knew was false.
The marabout and his co-accused are yet to react to the charges. They are expected to take their pleas when the case resumes on May 19.
]]>
