Two Foreign Nationals Fined for Attempting to Fraudulently Obtain Gambian Passports
The Banjul Magistrates’ Court has fined two foreign nationals—a Sierra Leonean and a Malian—D2,000 each or, in default, one year imprisonment, after they pleaded guilty to attempting to fraudulently acquire Gambian passports. The cases were presided over by Principal Magistrate M. Krubally.
Case of Isatou Barry
In the first case, the court heard that on July 8, 2025, a Sierra Leonean woman, Isatou Barry, attempted to obtain a Gambian passport using a falsified birth certificate and biometric ID card.
During her interview at the biometric passport processing centre, Barry failed to provide any parental documents to support her claim of Gambian nationality, raising suspicion. She was referred to the Immigration Intelligence Unit, where she admitted to being Sierra Leonean and produced a copy of her valid Sierra Leonean passport. The fraudulent documents were tendered in evidence.
Barry, who communicated in English, pleaded guilty to the charge. In her plea for leniency, she explained that she has lived in The Gambia for 12 years, has two children, and runs a catering business employing Gambians.
In delivering judgment, Magistrate Krubally took into account her voluntary confession, first-offender status, and mitigating plea. Citing the precedent set in Nyabally v. The State, which discourages custodial sentences for first-time offenders where fines are applicable, the court imposed a fine of D2,000 or, in default, a one-year prison term.
Case of Muhammad Jarra
In a separate but similar matter, Malian national Muhammad Jarra was charged with presenting fraudulent documents, including a Gambian birth certificate, biometric ID card, and another Gambian’s ID card, in an attempt to acquire a passport on July 14, 2025, at the Banjul Biometric Office.
Upon questioning by immigration officials, Jarra admitted to being Malian and later presented a Malian clinical card as proof of nationality. The documents were submitted as evidence in court.
Speaking in Mandinka, Jarra pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, explaining that financial hardship had driven him to seek a Gambian passport in order to travel abroad as a footballer. He stressed it was his first offence.
Magistrate Krubally, in considering his plea and voluntary confession, also applied the legal precedent in Nyabally v. The State. Jarra was convicted and ordered to pay a fine of D2,000 or serve one year in prison in default.