Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Three officials from The Gambia’s Ministry of Justice have been charged with serious criminal offenses over the alleged misappropriation of more than D14 million in public funds collected from intellectual property fees.

The accused—Seedy Jammeh, Yusupha M. Cham, and Matarr Sylva—were arraigned before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh at the High Court in Banjul, where they faced six charges, including conspiracy to defraud, theft, economic crime, forgery, official corruption, and abuse of office.

The charges relate to alleged financial misconduct that occurred between 2018 and 2019 at the Intellectual Property Registry Office.

According to a bill of indictment filed by the State Law Office, the trio are accused of conspiring to defraud the government by fraudulently issuing receipts and diverting funds collected as fees for trademark applications and renewals, totalling D14,395,620.00.

The indictment further alleges that they manipulated government financial records using the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) to conceal the diversion of funds.

The prosecution also claims that Yusupha M. Cham and Matarr Sylva, both public officers, used their official positions to gain unlawful financial benefits through corrupt practices. In addition, they are accused of violating established financial procedures, resulting in the loss of significant government revenue.

All three accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In court, State Counsel M. Sarr did not object to the granting of bail but asked the court to impose stringent conditions to ensure the accused do not flee or tamper with the ongoing investigation.

Defense lawyer S. Sonko, representing Jammeh and Sylva, noted that his clients had previously complied with police bail conditions.

Lamin J. Darboe, representing Cham, urged the court to adopt practical bail terms and called for the bail sum to be distributed equally among the accused, arguing that bail is a constitutional right.

Justice Jaiteh, in delivering his ruling, acknowledged the serious nature of the charges but emphasized that the accused were presumed innocent under Section 24(3)(a) of the 1997 Constitution. He noted that the state did not object to bail and found no indication that the accused posed a flight risk or would interfere with witnesses.

Bail was granted to each accused in the sum of D16,000,000. Each is required to provide a Gambian surety who must be the registered owner of a landed property within The Gambia valued at not less than D16 million.

The property must be evaluated by a certified estate valuer or a state-appointed valuer, with the valuation report submitted to the Registrar of the High Court within 10 days.

The title deed for the property must also be deposited with the Principal Registrar, who will retain it in safe custody until the trial concludes.

Justice Jaiteh ordered all accused to attend every court sitting unless officially excused. He warned that any breach of the bail conditions would lead to automatic revocation of bail and the issuance of a bench warrant.

The case has been adjourned to July 7, 2025, for hearing.