Efry Mbye, Rongo charged

The police have brought charges against Abdoulie Efry Mbye, a renowned Gambian griot, and Momodou Lamin Jarju, alias Rongo, an artist, at the Banjul Magistrates' Court.

Efry Mbye and Rongo were arraigned before acting-Principal Magistrate Tiawo Alagba yesterday, and charged with giving false information, making false document, uttering false document and prohibition of conduct conducive to the breach of the peace.

The accused persons, who both denied the charges, were subsequently granted bail of D250,000 each with two Gambian sureties each with landed properties within the Greater Banjul Area. They were also ordered to deposit their national Identification Card with the assistant registrar of the court.

Defence counsel Moses B. Johnson Richards in applying for bail on behalf of the accused persons told the court that the accused are first-time offenders, and that they are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court.

He said the accused persons have a right to bail under section 24 of the constitution, as the offence allegedly committed is a bailable offence.

Counsel Richards added that the accused persons were on police bail, and urged the court to grant them court bail as this would enable them to prepare their defence.

The prosecuting officer, ASP Sanyang, told the court that the prosecution is not objecting to bail for the accused persons, and that granting bail is entirely at the discretion of the court.

The trial magistrate subsequently granted them bail on the above conditions.

Count one of the alleged offence read that Momodou Lamin Jarju and Abdoulie Efry Mbye  in 2010, at Banjul and diverse places in The Gambia, gave false information to the Ministry of Local Government and copied the same to the Secretary General, Office of the President wit: that Alkalo Eric Tundeh Janneh is disuniting the people and grabbing land at Banjulinding in the West Coast Region and that  the President's Office acknowledged Mr. Malang Badjie as the Chairman of the Council of Elders of Banjulinding, an information they knew was false at the time.

The alleged offence on count two stated that Momodou Lamin Jarju and Abdoulie Efry Mbye in 2010, at Banjul and diverse places in The Gambia, wrote a petition to the Secretary General Office of the President wit: that the villagers of Banjulinding are not in support of the Alkalo Eric Tundeh Janneh who is grabbing land and disuniting the people of Banjulinding, information they knew was false at the time.

The particulars of offence on count three stated that Momodou Lamin Jarju and Abdoulie Efry Mbye in 2010, at Banjul and diverse places in The Gambia, knowingly and fraudulently presented a petition letter to the Secretary General Office of the President to wit: that the villagers of Banjulinding are not in support of the Alkalo Eric Tundeh Janneh who is grabbing lands and disuniting the people of Banjulinding, information they knew was false at the time.

Count four indicated that Momodou Lamin Jarju and Abdoulie Efry Mbye in 2010, at Banjul and diverse places in The Gambia, conducted meetings with the people of Banjulinding in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace.

The case was adjourned ttill 10 February 2011.