NEWS
JAILED CENTRAL BANK FOREIGN EXCHANGE MANAGER TO BE FREED -INTERIOR
MINISTRY SOURCES REVEAL
By Akaleke
Our Banjul Correspondent



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October 19, 2005
 Lang Conteh the former Foreign Exchange Manager at the Central Bank of
The Gambia is to be freed on the 26th of this month, The ALLGAMBIAN
online Newspaper can reveal.

According to highly placed and dependable sources at the Department of
State For Interior, Mr. Conteh's name appeared in a list of convicted
people to be freed on the 26th of this month.

The Interior Ministry official who confirmed the story refused to comment
further. It could be recalled that the former Central Bank Foreign
exchange Manager, was convicted in 2004 for eight (8) counts of economic
crimes against the state. Lang who was jailed by the High court was
estimated to have embezzled two hundred and fifty million Dalasis (D250,
000,000) from state coffers. He later pleaded guilty to all charges
brought against him and consequently sentenced to one year in jail. Lang
spent some months in jail, while the said high profile economic crime case
dragged in the high court.

Mr. Conteh who later entered into plea bargaining with the state, had his
multi million dalasis entertainment centre called the destiny and his much
talked about mansion in town at his former Kotu villa forfeited to the
state .

The question as to why Mr. Conteh was sentenced for only a year and a
month remains unanswered. Baba Jobe the former Majority leader of the
National assembly and a former close aide to Dictator Yaya Jammeh, also a
strong pillar within the APRC was also sentenced to prison for a period of
9 years and 8 months on similar charges. This clearly states that Mr.
Conteh has classified information about the president's activities in
relations to the nation's coffers at the Central Bank, said a government
official who spoke to The ALLGAMBIAN correspondent.

It would be recalled that the said economic crime case involving the
disgraced former Central Bank Foreign Exchange Manager was at one time
dropped by the sate amidst reports that parties engaged in the criminal
trial resorted to settlement out of court. This move provoked a swift
reaction from some Gambian legal luminaries, who dismissed the state's
move arguing that a criminal nature of such a case cannot be settled out
of court. They argued that in civil matters, aggrieved litigants can
resort to such actions and not in a criminal proceeding like that of the
Central Bank missing millions. The case which was initially dismissed by
Justice Paul, later resurfaced at the High court, with the State filing
fresh economic crime charges against Mr. Conteh.

It is imperative to note that the Director of Public Prosecution at the
Attorney General's Chambers, Chief Agim at some point informed Justice
Paul that Lang and other accused persons had effected some payments
amounting to D65Million dalasis to the state. However, records of such
payments were not made available to the court by Agim, who earlier
requested for the said economic crime charges against Lang Conteh be
dropped.

Despite his plea of guilt to such charges, Lang accuses the state in an
open court for not honouring the agreement he had with them regarding his
plea bargaining. Sources close to Lang's family says the arrangement set
were for Lang to be freed, since he agreed to surrender some of his multi
million dalasis properties. But for some reasons said our sources, the
said agreement was ignored, which led to Lang's imprisonment. Lang was a
close friend and errand boy for President Yahya Jammeh.



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