Court Dismisses Call to Reconsider D30m Bail Condition on Pristine

The D30 million bail condition challenged at Special Criminal Division has being struck out after the Director of Special Litigation convinced the presiding judge that the defense did not want to chart a way out.
The defense for Mr Assan Touray, chief technology officer of Pristine Consulting, a private Gambian IT firm was ordered on the previous sitting to file an ‘application notice’, for both parties to argue in court.
When the case resumed on Wednesday, Mary Samba, who was holding brief for Ida Drammeh, the defense lawyer told the court that they did not file the notice.
D. O Kulo had urged the court to dismiss the application for a review of the bail condition. The state counsel’s application was granted and the matter struck-out.
Mr Assan Touray and Mr Abdourahman Touray, the CEO are charged with two counts of economic crimes, one count of conspiracy to defraud the public and one count of theft.
The Touray brothers have allegedly sold and withheld Gambia government’s share of over twenty seven million dalasi when engaged by government to produce biometric national identity cards and other official documents.
Mr Assan Touray has denied the charges, but Mr Abdourahman Touray, was indisposed on Monday. He was declared wanted before the trial.
Justice Awa Bah had earlier granted bail to Mr Assan, but in the sum of ten million dalasi and two Gambian sureties who must each possess a landed property worth ten million dalasi.
Mr Assan was unable to fulfill the bail condition and he is being remanded.