By: Isatou Sarr
The Brikama Magistrates’ Court on Monday fined a man D15,000 for removing 13 logs of timber without a permit and payment of the required royalty fees to the Department of Forestry.
The man, Fafa Ceesay, was convicted by Magistrate K.B. Sambou after pleading guilty to the offence of removal of major forest produce, contrary to Section 87(3) of the Forest Act, 2018.
The court heard that on September 29th, 2026, at Kafuta in the West Coast Region, Ceesay drove a truck with registration number BJL 0997 AA loaded with 13 logs of timber and transported them towards the Kombo areas without a permit or payment of royalty fees to the Department of Forestry.
Cadet Inspector M.A. Jallow appeared for the prosecution, while Ceesay appeared without legal representation.
The charge was read to him in English and interpreted into Wolof. He pleaded guilty to the offence.
Following his plea, the prosecution applied to adopt the particulars of the offence as the brief facts of the case and tendered photographs of the truck as evidence. The accused raised no objection, and the court admitted two photographs and marked them as Exhibits A1 and A2.
Based on his guilty plea, Magistrate Sambou found Ceesay guilty and convicted him accordingly. In mitigation, Ceesay asked the court for mercy, saying he regretted his action and would not repeat it.
In his ruling, Magistrate Sambou said he had heard the accused’s plea in mitigation but described the action as uncalled for.
The court consequently fined Ceesay D15,000, in default of which he will serve six months in prison. The fine is to be paid within 30 days.
The court also granted him bail in the sum of D20,000 with a Gambian surety pending payment of the fine.
The 13 logs were ordered confiscated and handed over to the Department of Forestry for disposal, with the proceeds to be paid into government coffers.
The court further ordered that 50 percent of the fine, if paid, should go to the Department of Forestry.