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toubab1020
11138 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Jul 2020 : 16:34:32
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The Investigators into this sad business must be congratulated in gathering the evidence for the prosecution to reach the Courts, all the defendants "were unrepresented by a lawyer. "
Magistrate Omar Cham granted Bail,it will be VERY INTERESTING when the case is called for hearing when the defendants have to appear.
This will be a long time into the future I suspect.
RELATED TOPIC, FROM 2007 !.
https://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=4693
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https://standard.gm/14-charged-with-illegal-timber-dealing/
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By Amadou Jadama on July 21, 2020
Police prosecutors in Brikama yesterday charged 14 persons with illegal importation of timber without valid import certificate.
The accused persons are Baba Kanyi, Samba Sarr, Amat Faal, IK Aroh, Baboucarr Jonha, Omar Jallow, Gibril Bojang, Alagie Secka, Salieu Ceesay, Gibril Sissoho, Abdoulie Bah, Alieu Suwareh, Muhammed Tundo, and Yusupha Trawally.
They were allegedly found importing 1,143 timber logs without a valid import certificate.
All the accused persons denied the charge.They were unrepresented by a lawyer. However, the principal Magistrate Omar Cham granted them bail in the sum of 5000,00 each with one Gambian surety.
The trial continues.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 21 Jul 2020 16:55:27 |
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toubab1020
11138 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2020 : 16:57:10
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"The trial continues."
I have seen NO reports in the media , Do YOU know Derar Reader,if an adjournment was ordered by the trial judge before Corona Virus caused havoc in the normal life of Gambia ?
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 11 Aug 2020 16:58:02 |
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toubab1020
11138 Posts |
Posted - 24 Aug 2020 : 18:04:15
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SNIPPET:
"multiple sources confirmed to the BBC that the rosewood being shipped out of The Gambia to China comes from the Casamance region of southern Senegal."
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https://foroyaa.net/gtu-president-warns-truckers-to-desist-from-unlawful-transportation-of-logs/
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By Nelson Manneh on August 23, 2020
The President of The Gambia General Transport Union Omar Ceesay has on Saturday 22nd August 2020 warned Truckers to desist from illegal transportation of logs as it is banned by the government of The Gambia.
“All truckers should respect the laws of the country and should stop all forms of illegal transportation of logs in the country,” he said.
Mr. Ceesay said all the trucks that were apprehended by the Senegalese Forces at Bwiam Military Checkpoint in Foni Kansala District, were finally released to the drivers.
“The government has banned the transportation of logs in the Gambia and that needs to be respected by all truck drivers who are engaged in it,” he said.
Readers could recall that the President of The Gambia General Transport Union in a press briefing told on Monday, told journalists that the Senegalese forces at the Military checkpoint in Bwiam intercepted trucks loaded with logs.
He said the trucks were kept there without any legal process.
He said the matter later reached the court and the Brikama Magistrate’s Court delivered judgment in the case. He said the Court ordered that the logs impounded by the Senegalese forces should be forfeited to the state and the vehicles be given back to their owners.
Mr. Ceesay said following the judgment on the 16th July 2020 up to the date of the press conference, the vehicles were not returned to their owners.
BBC said The Gambia is consistently among the five largest global exporters of rosewood, despite declaring its own stocks close to extinction almost a decade ago.
During a year-long investigation in both Senegal and The Gambia, multiple sources confirmed to the BBC that the rosewood being shipped out of The Gambia to China comes from the Casamance region of southern Senegal.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
11138 Posts |
Posted - 13 Feb 2021 : 13:27:06
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https://www.chronicle.gm/video-gambian-rosewood-exporter-to-stand-trial-says-gambias-minister-of-environment-lamin-b-dibba/
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Exporter To Stand Trial Says Gambia’s Minister Of Environment, Lamin B. Dibba
BY Mamour M.Mbenga
The Chronicle:Feb 10, 2021
Saikou Konteh, the owner of 22 containers loaded with illegally logged from Senegal pterocarpus erinaceus (rosewood) set to be exported to China, in violation of the ban imposed by The Gambia on timber export, has been charged and will stand trial on February 19th. Confirming this to the media, the minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources of The Gambia, Lamin B. Dibba said Saikou Konteh is a recedivist in breaching the ban on the export of rosewood. Watch Lamin Dibba in this video produced by The Chronicle’s Mamour Mbenga.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
11138 Posts |
Posted - 19 Feb 2021 : 10:52:41
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RELATED:
https://www.chronicle.gm/illegal-timber-export-gambia-timber-dealers-boss-faults-senegal-gambia/
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https://www.chronicle.gm/gambia-participates-exposes-the-gambia-illicit-trade-from-casamance-blood-timber/
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Gambia Participates, a civil society organization for transparency and accountability in the governance of The Gambia’s public finances has revealed that huge sums of toxic monies have been generated in The Gambia over a decade of illicit timber trading from Casamance, in Senegal. Presenting an in-depth investigative report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Gambia Participates’ Executive Director Marr Nyang has revealed that the enormous revenues from the illicit trade on rosewood avoids The Gambia’s national budget and fills the pockets of environment poachers.
President Adama Barrow succumbs to the sirens of rosewood dealers
After Adama Barrow took over the presidency in February 2017, he imposed a ban on illegal rosewood trafficking. Barrow was quickly subjected to an intense pressure by Gambian and Chinese timber lobbies who, not only undermined the ban, but strengthened a network of illegal traffickers in connection with some government officials. In as much as they enabled a record timber export to China, they succeeded in getting President Adama Barrow to lift the ban for a year before he reinstated it in August 2019.
Containers impounded at Buffer zone in Tallinding following a whistle blowing by Gree-up Gambia
Marr Nyang said “From the records of 2019-2020 and 2021 reports we have accessed, the revenue generated on illegal timber trafficking was not reported in the government’s statement. The timber revenue goes to personal pockets of individuals, which is costing the government a lot of losses in money”, the founder and Executive director of Gambia Participates revealed.
Marr Nyang said the actual national tax alone collected from the timber trade in 2019 was a total of D13 billion collected in Gambian currency and about $471 million dollars raked up in foreign currency. This according to Marr Nyang outlines an equivalent to 24.2 billion dalasi that was under reported by the Gambia Government on the proceeds of timber trafficking. He said the former regime of Yahya Jammeh has benefited of huge amount of monies up 356 million US dollars on illicit timber trading, Marr Nyang revealed.
How Chinese and Gambian traffickers feed the pillage in Casamance
The Executive director of the civil society organization “Gambia Participates” said these facts among many others prompted an undercover investigation that led to the key findings by the Environmental investigation agency (EIA), based in Washington DC. EIA is a world leading organization that investigates and campaigns against environmental crimes and abuses. It conducted a three year investigation on illegal rosewood trafficking between Casamance and The Gambia to China.
“Cashing-In On Chaos”, the full video on Casamance illegal timber trade in The Gambia from the EIA investigation.
The IEA investigation revealed that Gambia is the third largest source of rosewood export in the African continent, as rosewood sales becomes a growing market in Asia.
Informing journalists on the content of the EIA findings, Marr Nyang held that between June 2012 and April 2020, The Gambia has harvested 1.6 million trees from Senegal. He said the illegal logs were obtained out of the Casamance woods and smuggled to the Gambia.
The Executive director of the civil society organization “Gambia Participates” has also explained that there is a strict law in Senegal that prohibits smuggling and exportation of rosewood. “As a result, these rosewoods are illegally transported from Senegal via The Gambia, for export purpose to some Asian countries” Marr Nyang said.
The IEA investigation has revealed that Casamance rebel groups have uses the rosewood illegal trafficking as a source of income in order to procure ammunitions in support of their rebellion. The MFDC rebels are enabled by a “criminal network making fortune on illegal timber trading from the southern Senegal, in Casamance, to the Gambia” according to Marr Nyang.
Investigations indict Gambian officials in the timber corruption
A BBC investigative televised documentary has revealed a year ago that traveling to the rural part of the Southern Gambia, there are illegal rosewood logs piled up on depots along the border villages of The Gambia with Casamance. Marr Nyang alleged that some Gambian security authorities are benefitting from the illegal timber export transactions between Casamance, the depots in the villages and along the route from depot to the ports in Banjul.
Quoting a report from the Chinese customs, the Executive director of the civil society organization “Gambia Participates” said China has officially reported that between February and April 2020, about 329,351 tons of rosewood arrived in Chinese ports from The Gambia.
The Executive director of the civil society organization “Gambia Participates” Marr Nyang
Marr Nyang also explained how undercover EIA investigators have interviewed timber smugglers who clearly named some Gambian government officials allegedly involve in the illegal timber trading.
On how the business operates, Marr Nyang informed that there is a private entity called Jagne Narr that has been created to be an actual player between the Ministry of Environment and timber dealers. He said this has been now established by the international investigators’ report.
Concluding his presentation, “Gambia Participates” boss called the media and environmentalists to join hands to fight corruption in The Gambia.
Present in the event, Hon. Muhammed Ndow, a Member of Parliament for Banjul Central who is also in the National Assembly Environment select committee said parliamentarians are au fait with the recently confiscated 22 containers of rosewood bound for illegal export.
The Banjul representative said the problem with the Gambia is enforcement of the law. He revealed that the parliament has asked the Minister of Environment to act swiftly to end the illegal timber export. He also said the EIA reports is yet to be received by the parliament Select committee on Environment. |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 19 Feb 2021 10:57:07 |
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