Mr Edward Graham, a former managing director of Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation was Wednesday 15 February handed down a one-year jail term for economic crimes.
Mr Graham, who had been freed on economic crimes after his dismissal in mid-2011, had denied allegations that he’d instructed the appointment of Ancha Jammeh as financial manager of Home Finance, a subsidiary to SSHFC.
D73, 000.00 of public funds was invested to recruit economics  trained- Madam Jammeh in accounting to be able to handle the post and Mr Graham was held responsible for it at the end of the seven-month courtroom saga at the Special Criminal Court in Banjul.
“The denial of the accused did not convince me. I am convinced that the accused appointed Ancha Jammeh and provided the sum of D73, 000 for her training as the finance manager of Home Finance,” Justice Nkea said in a parked courtroom.  
“The fact that Ancha Jammeh got a Bsc in Economies does not automatically mean she is qualified for the job of an accountant. Appointing her as finance manager of Home Finance with little or no knowledge of finance, demonstrated that there was a hidden agenda behind the whole process of her appointment.”
The presiding judge said Home Finance would not have lost the D73, 000 if a proper method was used in the appointment process, ordering Graham to also pay D73, 000 to the SSHFC within two weeks in default to serve another one year in prison.
Mr Graham was managing director of SSHFC, but was dismissed mid-2011. He was arraigned on four counts of economic crimes following his dismissal, but charges against him were dropped only for him to be arraigned shortly afterwards with different charges.
As highlighted by his defence counsel, Lamin Camara, Graham is a middle-aged man, married with two wives and children. As a professional accountant, he’d served the country for over 25 years.
It is against this backdrop that lawyer Camara urged the court to instead impose a fine, yet the judge sent him to serve one year in jail, though that is not the maximum.