By: Dawda M Jallow
One Aakash Vadvani, an alleged fraudster was granted bail in the sun two million and five hundred dalasi in a case presided over by Magistrate M Faal of the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court.
According to the statement of offence he was charged with ‘stealing by clerk or servant’ contrary to Section 258 of the Criminal Code Cap 10.01 Volume 3 Revised Laws of The Gambia 2009.
It was alleged in the particulars of offense that Aakash Vadvani between August and October 2024 at Jimpex in the Kanifing Municipality of The Republic of The Gambia, whilst being an employee of Aryan Trading, was in charge of the day-to-day affairs of the company, and that by his position, Vadvani fraudulently converted the sum of D2,253,550.00, being sums of money made from the business of various goods of building materials being that are properties of one Rajiv Sharma, thereby committed an offense.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty when the charge sheet was read to him, adding that the amount in question is less than two million Dalasi.
Prosecutor C.B Jallow, who represented the Inspector General of Police IGP applied for an adjournment to secure his witnesses and further objected to bail for the accused because the accused once absconded and was arrested in Basse.
He maintained that the police are still investigating the matter and also the accused is non-Gambian the amount involved is huge and that if is granted bail he might abscond and escape the jurisdiction of the court.
Magistrate M. Faal denied the application and granted the accused bail in the sum of D2, 500,000.00 with three Gambian sureties who shall deposit their valid National Identity Card or Passport to the Registrar of Court, and shall also depose to an affidavit of means. One of the sureties must own a plot of land valued at two million Dalasi that must be deposited to the registrar’s office. The court went on to order the confiscation of all travel documents of the accused as part of the bail conditions and adjourned the matter to December 18, 2024, for hearing from the prosecution witness.
