By Tabora Bojang
Musa Kanteh and Saidou Bayo who acted as sureties in the bail of former National People’s Party (NPP) member Mbemba Drammeh, have filed a suit against him, claiming over D900,000 for damages and other things they suffered as a result of his jumping of bail and absconding.
Mbemba Drammeh was arrested and released in late December on police bail after alleging that he took part in rigging the 2021 elections in favour of President Adama Barrow. He surreptitiously flew back to France, his current residence.
Following his absconding, his sureties Kanteh and Bayo, were detained by the police and ordered by a court to each forfeit D200,000 to the state.
Yesterday, the lawyer for the sureties Ibrahim Jallow of Gainako Chambers explained before the Kanifing court that before signing the bail bonds as sureties, his clients (Bayo and Kanteh) agreed with Mbemba Drammeh that if he jumped bail or absconded, he Drammeh, would reimburse them in the event that they are required to forfeit the bail bond of D200,000.
Lawyer Jallow further revealed that Drammeh has assured his sureties that under no circumstance would he jump bail or abscond from the jurisdiction of the court.
“Based on these promise and assurances, my clients acted as sureties and secured Drammeh’s release from police custody on December 30 2024, on condition that he reports to the Kanifing Police station on January 16, 2025 which he failed to do, and could not be found anywhere,” Lawyer Jallow told the court yesterday.
He said as a result of Drammeh’s jumping bail and absconding, his clients were detained by the police for 72 hours before being summoned to court to forfeit the bail condition.
The lawyer further argued that Mbemba Drammeh had breached the agreement and promise he made to the his clients causing them detention as well as curtailing their rights to privacy, movement and causing their families psychological trauma.
“As a result of these, my clients are claiming from the court to grant an order for the recovery of D200,000 from Mbemba Drammeh which they forfeited to the state, D700,000 for damages they suffered and D40,000 as legal and administrative fees,” Lawyer Jallow argued in court.
He also applied for the court to make a ruling for Mbemba Drammeh to either be served with the court documents by pasting it on the wall of his compound or to be transferred to him in France.
In addition to his application, Lawyer Jallow also filed an affidavit of non-service sworn by Matarr Sallah, process server of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court indicating that the court was not able to serve Mbemba Drammeh with a summon paper .
The affidavit stated that the process server was informed by Mbemba’s wife that he has travelled and she didn’t know when he is coming back and that she was not going to take any documents on her husband’s behalf.
The presiding magistrate, …. Touray, said since the matter was before another magistrate, he needed time to review the case file before he could decide on the application filed by the plaintiffs’ lawyer. He then adjourned the matter to July 17 to determine how Mr Drammeh should be served with court documents.
