Mahawa Cham’s alleged kidnappers’ trial starts soon

By Baba Sillah The case of Baboucar Jarju and Swandi Camara, who have been accused of kidnapping former Kiang East MP Mahawa Cham, has reached the court. The state counsel in the case, Lamin Jarju, yesterday appealed to the High Court in Banjul to grant him an adjournment so as to enable him to make legal opinion in order to determine the criminal liability of the accused persons as spelt out in the bill of indictment. Presenting his submission before Justice Oduma, the state counsel said he has received the case file of the two accused persons from the police prosecutors but he needs time to write legal opinion in order to determine the veracity of the criminal liability as alleged in the charge sheet. Baboucar Jarju and Swandi Camara are being tried on charges of kidnapping for the purpose of murder, conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretense. Mahawa Cham, a former APRC MP was reported to have been kidnapped from Senegal and brought to The Gambia where he and one Saul Ndow are believed to have been murdered.]]>