By Sainabou Sambou
In a sharp rebuke of ongoing procedural setbacks, Justice Omar Cham of the High Court in Banjul today ordered the Acting Director of the National Agency for Legal Aid (NALA) to appear before the court tomorrow at 10:00 a.m personally. The directive comes amid mounting frustration over repeated adjournments in the high-profile trial of four men accused of robbing Access Bank Gambia Limited’s Bijilo branch of D1,532,645 in an armed heist on January 22, 2025.
The case, which has drawn significant public attention since the daring daylight robbery at the bank’s Brusubi branch in the West Coast Region, suffered yet another postponement when no defence counsel appeared to represent the accused. State Counsel M.D. Mballow strongly condemned the delays, arguing they violate constitutional guarantees of timely justice in criminal proceedings.
“The matter has been repeatedly delayed at the instance of the defence,” Mballow told the court. He emphasized that the Gambian Constitution mandates criminal trials proceed within a reasonable time, warning that such persistent absences undermine the administration of justice.
According to the prosecution, the trial began with the testimony of the first prosecution witness (PW1) in October 2025. Following arguments in court, the case was adjourned until December 9, 2025. On that date, however, NALA provided no representation for the defendants. Today, PW1 was present and ready to resume testimony from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., while a second witness, Omar Sonko, had left his workplace to attend and testify. Despite their availability, proceedings could not advance without defence lawyers.
Mballow informed the court that Mr. Tamsir Jallow, the previous NALA counsel handling the matter, had departed the agency. Crucially, Jallow did not take the case file with him, leaving all documents at NALA. The State argued that the agency had ample opportunity to reassign the case to another lawyer but failed to do so, resulting in unfair hardship for witnesses who had consistently honoured summons.
“The continued absence of defence counsel stalls progress and frustrates justice,” Mballow stated, highlighting the inconvenience to witnesses and the broader implications for efficient judicial processes.
Justice Cham, visibly displeased, described the situation as “unacceptable and unconstitutional.” He noted multiple prior adjournments attributable to NALA. He issued a direct order for the Acting Director to appear in court tomorrow—not merely to explain the lapses, but to represent all four accused persons personally if necessary.
The accused—Ansumana Jarju, Alfusainey Diabate, Abdoulie Jallow, and Omar Secka—face three serious counts under Gambian law.
In Count One, all four are charged with conspiracy to commit a felony under Section 368 of the Criminal Code (Cap 10:01, Vol. III, Laws of The Gambia 2009). Prosecutors allege that on or about January 22, 2025, at Bijilo and elsewhere in The Gambia, they conspired to commit robbery.
Count Two accuses them jointly of robbery under Sections 272 and 273(2) of the Criminal Code, claiming they robbed Access Bank of D1,532,645 at the Bijilo branch on the same date.
Count Three targets Jarju, Diabate, and Jallow alone for possession of firearms without authority, under Section 8 and punishable under Section 25(2) of the Arms and Ammunition Act (Cap 21:01, Vol. IV, Laws of The Gambia 2009). They are alleged to have possessed two pistols and thirteen rounds of ammunition unlawfully during the incident.
The robbery, one of several armed incidents reported in early 2025, prompted swift police action and arrests. The defendants pleaded not guilty at the commencement of the trial, setting the stage for what was expected to be a closely watched proceeding.
The case has now been adjourned to tomorrow, February 17, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., when the Acting Director of NALA is required to attend.
