Dr Badara Loum and Suruwa Jaiteh have had their trial for economic crimes committed against the State adjourned to 12 July 2007 after testifying again on Thursday before Justice Monageng of the Banjul High Court.

According to the statement of the offence, the two accused persons willfully or by omission or recklessly, between April 2005 and December 2006 caused monetary loss to a public body contrary to section 5(a) of the Economic Crimes Decree 1994 (Decree No 16) and punishable under section 6 of the same decree.

The particulars of the offence stated that Dr Badara Loum and Suruwa Jaiteh, as permanent secretaries of the Department of State for Agriculture between the months of April 2005 and December 2006, being the counting officers thereof and entrusted with the responsibility of distributing and selling of 4,775 metric tones of NPK and 2,229 metric tones of Urea fertilizer valued at D51,480,100, willfully or by omission, recklessly handled some of the fertilizers and thereby caused loss to the Government of The Gambia to the tune of D6,340, 845 (six million, three hundred and forty thousand, eight hundred and forty-five dalasis).