Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia) – A Pakistani national, Atif Amin, has been arraigned before the Banjul Magistrates’ Court on a series of serious criminal charges, including impersonation, forgery, and obtaining money by false pretense. The case, presided over by Magistrate Krubally, involves events that allegedly spanned from 2022 to 2024 across Banjul and other locations in The Gambia.
Prosecutors Assistant Commissioner A. Manga and Sergeant M. Jammeh (Badge No. 5907) presented seven charges against Amin, portraying him as having falsely assumed the identity of a Pakistani diplomat while engaging in fraudulent financial transactions.
On the first count, Amin is accused of presenting himself to public officials—including those at the Banjul City Council and the Departments of Lands, Internal Audit, and Information Technology—as a Pakistani diplomat and chairperson of the Pakistani community in The Gambia.
The second and third charges relate to his alleged use and forgery of diplomatic vehicle number plates—specifically 1 AV4 ICD, 1 AV4 2CD, and “Pakistan I.C.D“—to reinforce his claims of diplomatic status.
He also faces allegations of defrauding Gambian nationals. In one instance, Amin allegedly received D100,000 from a man named Muhammed Ousman under the pretense of sending the money to Ousman’s family in Pakistan, a transfer that never occurred.
In another charge, he is said to have taken D15,000 from Lamin Kinteh, purportedly for website development services that were never delivered.
Amin is further accused of issuing two cheques from Zenith Bank—D100,000 to GACH Global and D71,000 to one Basamba Drammeh—despite insufficient funds in his account. The final charge concerns the false assumption of diplomatic authority before various Gambian government institutions.
Amin pleaded not guilty to all seven charges.
Prosecutor Manga strongly objected to bail, highlighting that the accused had previously jumped bail in May 2024. Manga revealed that Amin’s sureties, Saihou Jarjou and Musa Dumbuya, were arrested after the accused failed to report to authorities.
He was later found hiding in a toilet in his home, even as his wife told police he had travelled to Guinea-Bissau.
In his defense, Amin claimed his absence was due to a humanitarian mission to Guinea-Bissau, where he allegedly donated 600 bags of rice. He said he possessed photographic evidence of the visit, including a stop at the Office of the Vice President.
He also referenced his contributions to a Gambian newspaper as proof of his involvement in the community and maintained his willingness to cooperate with the ongoing legal process. Amin further complained that the police had held his phones, laptops, and cheque books for over a year.
Despite the prosecution’s objections, Magistrate Krubally ruled that the offenses were bailable and exercised the court’s discretion accordingly. He granted bail in the amount of D500,000 with two Gambian sureties.
The sureties must be gainfully employed or actively engaged in business, present valid identification, and swear an affidavit of means. The court warned that the sureties would be held liable for the bail amount if Amin fails to appear for subsequent proceedings.
The case has been adjourned to 27 July 2025 for hearing.
