Fresh charges have been brought against Lt Bakary Camara bodyguard to the President. Lt Camara appeared yesterday before Magistrate Kayode of the Banjul Magistrates’ Court on three counts of stealing and giving false information to a public officer contrary to section 252 and section 114 respectively of the Criminal Code. Count One of the offence states that Lt Bakary Camara on or about the 10th day of January 2008 at Banjul converted Ssanyong Karando 290 SR bearing vehicle number Bjl 4063 B property of the Government of The Gambia to the private ownership and use of Domenico Fedeli and thereby committed an offence. Count Two of the particulars of the offence states that Lt Bakary Camara on or about the 10th day of January 2008 at Banjul, The Gambia, gave false information to Fansu AD Faburay of the Police Licensing Authority that the President of the Republic has made a gift of and authorised the transfer of the motor vehicle Ssanyong Karando 290 SR with registration number BJL 4063 B property of the Government of The Gambia to the private ownership and use of Domenico Fedeli which information was acted upon to effect a transfer of ownership to the said Domenica Fedeli, and thereby committed an offence.

Count Three of the offence indicates that Lt Bakary Camara on or about the 10th day of January 2008 at Banjul in The Gambia gave false information to Manlafi Sanyang, controller of Government vehicles State House that the President of the Republic has made a gift of and authorised the transfer of the motor vehicle Ssanyong Bjl 4063 B property of the Government to the private ownership and use of Dominico Fedeli which information was acted upon to effect a transfer of ownership to the said Domenico Fedeli and thereby committed an offence.

Lt Bakary Camara had vehemently denied the charges before being granted court bail in  the sum of D50, 000 with a responsible Gambian as surety.

The case has been adjourned to 28 February 2008 for trial. It could be recalled that the accused Lt Bakary Camara is involved in another criminal matter in which he was charged along side Superintendent Manlafi Sanyang and Momodou Lamin Sonko for which they were granted bail in the sum of D1M each on the offence of theft and economic crime.