As of: December 6th, 2021 01:09 p.m.
On Monday, the Hamburg public prosecutor brought charges against professional footballer Bakery Jatta from the second division Hamburger SV for violating the Residence Act.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, Jatta gave a wrong name and a wrong date of birth when he entered Germany. According to the authorities, Jatta is Bakary Daffeh, born on November 6, 1995. Under this name, the Gambier played as a professional footballer for various African clubs.
In his home country, he is said to have been issued with identification papers with his new identity, which he used when his residence permit was later extended. He is also said to have applied for a driver’s license using this information. The Gambier is accused of “offenses against the Residence Act in four cases and indirect false certification in one further case”.
The trial will be held before the juvenile judge, “because the accused was partly an adolescent and partly an adult during the period in question,” it says. According to the public prosecutor’s office, most of the allegations must be judged according to youth law. “
Jatta Lawyer: The charges are incomprehensible
“I do not understand how one can bring charges on the basis of the investigation. We are of the opinion that Mr. Jatta has clearly proven his identity. We will take a position and request that the main hearing not be admitted,” said Jatta’s lawyer Thomas Bliwier.
“Fall Jatta” begins in 2019
Jatta came to Germany as a refugee from Gambia in 2015, his official date of birth is June 6, 1998. He was therefore considered a minor when he entered the country. Unaccompanied minor refugees have a greater chance of being tolerated in Germany. He has been playing for HSV since 2016.
In 2019, the “Jatta case” caused a great stir nationwide. In media reports, doubts about Jatta’s identity have been raised. Accordingly, the offensive player from Gambia could have a past as Bakary Daffeh and be two and a half years older than previously assumed. The subsequent investigations initially led to no result. Jatta spoke of a “witch hunt” and thanked those responsible at HSV, who always supported him.
Investigations and house searches
The Hamburg public prosecutor initiated a formal investigation in January 2020. The district office had previously closed proceedings against Jatta in mid-September 2019. The authority said that documents and a hearing had no doubts about the accuracy of Jatta’s information. In the course of the proceedings, there had been a search of Jatta’s house, among other things.
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