Posted by By: Fabakary B. Ceesay
Justice Haddy C. Roche of the Banjul Court on Thursday 28th July upheld the “no case submission” filed by the defence team defending Saihou Drammeh former General Manager and Lamin Gassama former Operations Director of Gam Petroleum and acquitted and discharged the two accused persons based on lack of sufficient evidence produced by the prosecution against the accused persons.
Both Saihou Drammeh and Lamin Gassama were free from all the eight counts of criminal charges against them.
In summing up the entire evidence of the prosecution and under cross examination in a crowded Courtroom, Justice Roche agreed with the entire submission of no case to answer by defence lawyers C.E. Mene, B. S.M Conteh and P. Bakurin and stated that the prosecution failed to prove the prima facie case and the main ingredients of the charges against Saihou Drammeh and Lamin Gassama.
Going through the evidence in chief of prosecution witnesses namely Amadou Keita a senior finance manager and later served as acting General Manager of Gam Petroleum (GP), Lamin Touray a supervisor at GP, Alieu Jallow, Registrar General of companies at Attorney General’s Chambers, Ousman Bah the Control Room Supervisor at GP, Abdoulie Tambedou Chair of Board of Directors of GP, Momodou Lamin Sompo Ceesay Director of Energy at PURA, Abubakary Jawara, CEO of GACH, Dodou Njie of Atlas Oil Company, Momodou Hydara General Manager of Jah Oil, Ebrima Jaiteh of Petrogas, Abdourahman Baro Managing Director of Star Oil and Abdou J. Bah a Police Investigator.
The Court also duels into the arguments of the defence and the response filed by prosecution. Justice Roche said the Court stood with the submission of the defence and stated that the prosecution failed to prove evidence of all the counts and failed to lay down the main ingredients of the charges against the accused persons.
She therefore acquitted and discharged both Saihou Drammeh and Lamin Gassama for lack of evidence for the Court to ask them to enter their defence.
It could be recalled that Mr. Saihou Drammeh, the former General Manager and former Operations Manager of Gam Petroleum Mr. Lamin Gassama were arrested in late October 2021amid fuel shortage crisis and later jointly charged with eight counts of “stealing by clerk or servant, conspiracy, economic crime, fraudulently appropriating property or keeping fraudulent accounts.”
Both pleaded not guilty and granted a stiff bail bound of eleven million Dollars ($US11, 000.000).