Sanusi, thanks for your forward.  Folks, who is the real winner here, the
people or Lang?  A while ago when Lang changed his plea form not guilty to
guilty, I wrote that Lang knows something that we do not know and it is to
his benefit at the expense of the people, and that is exactly what
transpired here.  I'd said that he will walk away to enjoy the rest of his
loot and not a darn thing will come of it.  Well, literally, Lang walked
away.  One year!  Lord have mercy!  To add insult to injury, now, the state
said Lang owed the people D225 million, which we all know is a farce.  Are
we to accept that those two or three properties that Lang tendered are worth
D225 million?  I do not buy that.  The other thing is that, where is the
monetary damages that Lang should pay the people in excess of what he stole
and the time value there of?  Folks, I see stealing is the most lucrative
and profitable outfit going in that country.  It worked well for Yaya too.
Let us not be surprised should copycats litter the landscape, for many are
ready to take their chances, I'm sure.  Folks, we've seen petty thieves that
stole a measly coal pot have the book thrown at them, and here you have a
criminal in Lang rub us empty only to keep a good chunk of it, and worse,
will spend 10 months and be out rough riding among us.  Only in the Gambia.
The people have been served, really.  What on earth is happening to our
people and country?  What is the difference between what Baba Jobe was
accused of and what Lang is accused of?  Both of them wiped us clean, that's
one thing they have in common.  So, if I hear the judge well, Lang not
wasting his time is the difference here.  And Lang has the nerve to say,
“Nman nyi fo”.  Can you believe this clown?  He literally got away with
murder, yet he is protesting the judge caressing him.  This is unbelievable.
  Well, I do not know about you, but I'd braced myself for this day, thus,
it is just another day in our neighborhood.

Chi Jaama

Joe

>From: Sanusi Owens <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: LANG CONTEH JAILED FOR ONE YEAR
>Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 20:33:02 +0100
>
>Lang Conteh jailed
>Destiny’s, Kotu house forfeited    Written by Ousman Darboe    Wednesday,
>18 May 2005 Lang Conteh, the former foreign exchange manager of the Central
>Bank of The Gambia, was yesterday sentenced to one year imprisonment. Two
>of Mr Conteh’s most talked about properties and investments - his
>multi-million dalasi luxury house in Kotu and Destiny’s Night Club, have
>also been forfeited by the court.
>
>High Court judge, AH Tahir, delivered the judgement at a crowded courtroom
>amid weeping by relatives and sympathisers of the convicted millionaire.
>
>Mr Conteh was charged on seven counts of economic crimes and subsequently
>stood trial for economic crimes involving D225 million. At the commencement
>of the trial, he pleaded not guilty only to change his plea before the
>trial proper started. He then entered a plea bargain.
>
>In his plea of mitigation, Musa Bittaye, the head of Mr Conteh’s lawyers,
>said: “This is an unfortunate case of a young person who has served the
>Central Bank up to a top level. He has no previous conviction.”
>
>Lawyer Bittaye said the accused has surrendered to the state two valuable
>properties - his Kotu residence and his share at the Global Finance.
>
>At this juncture, DPP Akomaye Agim urged the court to expunge the Global
>Finance share surrendered to the state which was upheld by Justice Tahir.
>
>Continuing his mitigation, Bittaye said his client had not contested the
>case which he said could have involved the wasting of the court’s time.
>“The conviction that has to be made against the accused should be enough
>punishment for a man of this respect in the society.  It is on the record
>that since 17 February, the accused has been incarcerated in Mile Two and
>that is sufficient against the accused. Under these circumstances as a
>first time offender, we are asking that the court should not impose a
>custodial sentence or in other words, such a custodial sentence be
>suspended,” lawyer Bittaye said. He added that the the time the convict has
>spent in remand be considered in the conviction.
>
>DPP Agim thanked the convict and his lawyers for not wasting the court’s
>time. He said that was based on the plea bargain entered by the accused
>although,  according to him, crime has no justification in law.
>
>In his verdict, Justice Tahir said: “Lang Conteh is hereby given one year
>concurrent sentence of the seven counts.”
>
>When the judge made that pronouncement, many observers who were present at
>the courtroom commented that it was a light sentence as the convict will be
>serving all the one-year sentences of each count, at a go, meaning that he
>will be, in a nutshell, serving one year instead of seven years.
>
>But the cause of the light sentence was elucidated when the trial judge
>said: “The accused has not wasted the court’s time,” adding that he (the
>judge) had listen to the mitigation of the defence counsel.
>
>Shortly after the pronouncement of the judgement, Lang Conteh, dressed in a
>traditional trademark kaftan, engulfed in his newly adopted religious style
>- counting a rosery of prayer beads, was heard uttering some Mandinka words
>- “Nman nyi fo” , meaning, “this is not what we said.” Mr Conteh and his
>daughter then clasped each other in a sorrowful embracement with tears
>rolling down their cheeks.
>
>
> >in the Tostan program presented plays and songs and discussed the human
> >rights and responsibilities that influenced their decision. The
>journalists
> >interviewed women, men and children throughout the village.
> >
> >Khalifa Tamba spoke for the Niadieme villagers who are living in other
> >countries, stating that he himself visited Iran, an Islamic country where
> >people are surprised that a practice such as FGC exists. "When Iranians
> >asked me if we practiced this tradition in my village, I was embarrassed
> >and
> >said 'No,' even though it was not true. Now I will not have to lie
>because
> >we have finally abandoned the practice here. FGC is not an Islamic
> >obligation and can bring pain to women throughout their lives. It can
> >even
> >harm their relationship with their husbands. We are proud to participate
> >in
> >this historic event because it restores women's dignity and gives them
> >their
> >rightful place in our society."
> >
> >Not all of the focus was on traditional practices during the Niadieme
> >visit,
> >however. Villagers noted that people are no longer leaving for other
>cities
> >and countries because the village has started several income generating
> >projects. They proudly showed off a honey-producing "factory" and
> >discussed the other small projects they have started through micro-credit
> >loans. In addition, they noted that the Community Management Committee
>has
> >made significant progress on its projects: a large garden has been
>planted
> >with hundreds of fruit trees; construction is underway for both a health
> >station and a two-room schoolhouse for the children of Niadieme‹a school
> >that now has a teacher thanks to the public service lobbying skills the
> >Community Management Committee learned to use during the Tostan program.
> >
> >The declaration ceremony itself began at 10 AM on Sunday, May 15, with
> >traditional singers and dancers welcoming the delegations of Tostan
> >education program participants from Thies, Dakar, Matam, St. Louis,
> >Kaolack,
> >Tambacounda, Kidira, Kolda, and Ziguinchor, as well as many other guests
> >who
> >came to witness the public pledge. The Imam of Marakissa then gave the
> >opening welcome and prayer, clearly stating his support for the
>abandonment
> >of FGC and child marriage. He was followed by the Village Chief, the
> >President of the Community Management Committee, the President of the
>area
> >youth group, the village nurse, representatives of villagers living in
> >other
> >cities or countries, and a traditional cutter. Their determined and
> >forceful statements in Diola (translated for the guests) clearly
>summarized
> >their reasons for abandoning FGC and child marriage, and all were
> >enthusiastically applauded by the crowd. Between speeches, costumed
> >performers representing traditional forest animal figures interacted with
> >colorful Diola dance groups, providing a wonderful example of positive
> >Diola
> >traditions. A play was presented by the Marakissa class on the health
> >dangers and human rights violations related to FGC. The official public
> >statement declaring the abandonment of FGC and child marriage was then
>read
> >in Diola, French and Mandinka by village women.
> >
> >The guests attending the ceremony included representatives from UNICEF
> >(Senegal and the Gambia), UNFPA, USAID, NGOs, and numerous national and
> >local Government officials and members of the Senegalese Parliament,
> >notably
> >the Vice President of the National Assembly and the President of the
> >Regional Council of Kolda. These visitors congratulated the participants
>on
> >their decisive and positive action. The UNICEF-Senegal Representative,
> >Mr.
> >Mamadou Wane, explained that this "family decision" was a bright torch
>that
> >would illuminate the way for other communities seeking better health for
> >girls and women.
> >
> >As the first declaration to directly involve emigrant relatives in the
> >decision to abandon FGC and forced marriage, the declaration of Marakissa
> >marked an important new direction in the declaration process, which so
>far
> >has seen a total of 1,571 villages publicly abandon these harmful
> >traditional practices.
>
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