By Cecilia E.L. Mendy
Seven individuals appeared in the Banjul High Court on Tuesday, facing allegations linked to former President Yahya Jammeh’s land in Kassa Kunda.
The accused include former Lands Minister Sheriff Abba Sanyang, charged with abuse of office and providing false information to a public officer. While serving as Lands Minister in 2022, he allegedly approved the retention of 40 percent of forfeited land belonging to Jammeh for supposed customary landowners and misrepresented the legality of his approval to public authorities, including the Alkalo of Kassa Kunda.
The six other accused—Cherno Serending Sabally, Kalilu Sanyang, Bakary Gomez, Bakary Sanneh, Lamin Sabally, and Malang Jarju—face multiple charges, including criminal trespass and obtaining goods by false pretence.
The prosecution alleges that parts of the disputed land were fraudulently sold to several companies, with total proceeds amounting to D13,100,000.
All seven accused pleaded not guilty. The prosecution requested time to prepare witnesses and urged the court to remand the accused in custody. The defense argued for bail, citing the bailable nature of the offences and invoking Section 19 of the 1997 Constitution, which guarantees personal liberty and presumption of innocence.
The court confirmed that all alleged offences are bailable and rejected arguments that the charges should have been brought under the Criminal Offences Act, 2025, noting that criminal laws cannot be applied retroactively.
Sheriff Abba Sanyang was granted bail of D1,000,000, while the other six accused were each granted bail of D2,200,000, reflecting an equal division of the total alleged amount obtained through the disputed land sales. Each accused must provide one Gambian surety who owns property of equal or greater value than the bail amount, approved by the High Court, and must appear in court for every sitting until the case concludes.
The accused remain on police bail until 12 March 2026 to meet the conditions. Failure to comply will result in immediate remand.
The trial is scheduled to resume on 20 April 2026, when the first prosecution witness is expected to give evidence in chief.
