Two suspected human traffickers in the Gambia have been denied bail for the second time by the Kanifing magistrate’s court, citing the law which bars bail for such suspects. Lamin Jaiteh and Kanjura Jaiteh, who have been accused of taking money from people with the promise of taking them to Europe, were remanded in custody by Principal Magistrate Buba Jawo. The two men, who have denied the charges, were allegedly serving as agents for trafficking people within or outside the country. They were arrested in Bakau on 8 June, 2008 and taken to Kairaba Police Station where they were interrogated and subsequently charged for human trafficking. The two men have been accused of planning to traffic 61 people abroad. The court said it denied the accused persons bail because the penalties for human trafficking were the same as murder and there was no bail for murder suspects under the law.
