Austrian nationals Manuel Stofleth Mitterer and Angelika Mitterer on Tuesday walked out of the Banjul Magistrates’ Court visibly disappointed and worried minutes after the lower court’s ruling that they must stand trial on a charge of disobedience to lawful order.
The Austrians’ legal team, led by senior counsel Ida Drammeh, could not succeed in its bid to prevent prosecution.
Manuel and Angelika’s current legal nightmare stemmed from the criminal investigation that the Gambian police initiated against them a little more than three months ago.
Hotel owners Ebrima Solomon Tamba and Marcel Lambertus Teunis van Andel filed a criminal complaint against Manuel, which triggered a criminal investigation against him and his partner Angelika.
Mitterer, Tamba and Andel, according to sources, partnered around 2020 to sell holiday apartments off-plan.
“Manuel was leading the sales activities, but he told Tamba and Andel that he invested the proceeds in bitcoins,” one source said.
The Austrians refused police access to their laptop that investigators believed would be vital to their work.
They will now be tried for refusing to comply with a lawful order.
The case resumes 24 December 2024.
