Gambian ex-banker wins extradition case in UKBy BABOUCARR CEESAY in Banjul | Wednesday, May 9  2012 at  15:46

A UK-based Gambian and former employee of Trust Bank Ltd accused of stealing millions of Gambian dalasi from the bank’s foreign exchange account has won an extradition case against the Gambian government.

Alpha Bah secured a discharge after a British court agreed with the defence team that the ex-banker was unlikely to get a fair trial in his home country, according to a UK-based website.

The court also agreed with defence submissions that Mr Bah’s rights against torture and ill-treatment and even his right to life would not be guaranteed if he was extradited to The Gambia.

According to the British court, the sheer volume of repeated concerns of this nature could not be dismissed as isolated but were widespread in Gambia.

"I am driven to conclude, on the evidence adduced, that…fair trial procedures, including judicial impartiality and [availability of a competent] lawyer, free to act in the best interests of the client, cannot be assured,” the judge ruled.