A Gambian magistrate court on Thursday fined a five-star hotel chef for negligence and serving noxious food to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and his delegation.

Ayoub Aliris, chef of hotel Coco Ocean, was found guilty of causing food poisoning during a state visit last November.

Aliris was fined 100,000 Gambian dalasis, about 2,600 US dollars, although he denied the charges during his first court appearance.

According to the police, the chef unlawfully or negligently cooked prawns that had been preserved for a long period as a starter for a special lunch hosted for the visiting Nigerian leader.

Jonathan was later caught in a glare of media publicity when he was rushed to hospital to treat a stomach upset during a subsequent London visit.