Justice Joseph Wowo of the high court in Banjul has urged principal state counsel, SH Barkum of the attorney general chambers, to finish the court with the report of settlement on a criminal case involving the state against Habib Drammeh, the former director general of the Gambia tourism authority GTA on the subsequent adjournment date.

Justice Wowo made this declaration on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 in the hearing of the criminal case involving the state and Habib Drammeh who is standing trial on 10 count charges of criminal offences including giving false information to a publice servant and economic crime charges.

The accused was alleged to have written a position on January 12, 2005, titled petition for reinstatement as DG, GTA to president Yahya Jammeh, a public servant alleging wrongful suspension in the letter he alleged that the independent adult investigation commissioned by the board cleared him of any wrong doing, when he know it to be false, and urging the president to reinstate him.   

The accused was further alleged, whilst he was the director general of GT A, as a public servant, in Kololi, KMC, between 2002 and December 2003,approved the payment of four hundred and fifty thousand dalais (D450, 000) from the funds of GTA to home finance mortgage company Ltd for the settlement of his personal housing loan debt without the knowledge, disclosure, consent of authorization of the board, among others. On Tuesday, principal state counsel, SH Barkum intimated the court that there is a move to have the matter settled our of court and have the charges withdrawn against the accused.

He further intimated the court that the attorney general and minister of justice is currently studying the file.  He therefore craved the court's indulgence to grant him a short adjournment. Justice Wowo then adjourned the matter to October 7, 2009 for principal state counsel, SH Barkum to furnish the court with the report of settlement.