afrol News, 12 December - A court in the Gambian capital Banjul has convicted and fined the country's longest serving Director of Prisons on charges of stealing a generator belonging to the Prisons Department.

David Colley, 42, was asked to pay US $130 or in default goes to jail for two months. He was also ordered to return the 5.5 KVA generator to the government.

But Magistrate B.Y. Camara has acquitted and discharged Colley on stealing US $1,100, being the proceeds generated by the Prison Department's generator.

He blamed the prosecution for not proving the stealing count beyond reasonable doubts, citing their failure to tender produce a book proving that Colley had indeed stolen the said funds.

The court said the former prisons chief's failure to return a generator he had borrowed after several demands deprives the owner from his property.

Colley, who had broken ranks with the government. was arrested and detained being arraigned in court some months ago. He had a 31-year career with the prison service.

In another development, Magistrate Camara has delivered judgment in the protracted trial of the former national telecommunications [Gamtel] Managing Director, acquitting and discharging him on one of the two counts of disobedience of statutory duty and abuse of office brought against him by the state.

The ruling was in response to a "no-case submission" filed by Omar Ndow's attorney. Ndow returns to the court on 19 December to answer charges to the other count of abuse of office.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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