'13 Badjie' Accused




Daily Observer (Banjul)

September 7, 2000

Lamin Jatta & Alieu Badara Ceesay
Banjul

Mariama Danso, 30, owner of MA Import Export Ltd has alleged to the Daily
Observer that senior police officer, Landing Badjie, alias 13 Badjie, has
absconded with her money amounting to D431,100.

Ms Danso, who is resident in Koblenz, Germany, claimed that she entered a
contract with Badjie whereby she will be freighting cars from Germany for him to
sell in The Gambia. She said Badjie was supposed to deposit the proceeds of the
sales in the bank on her behalf.

She said she had travelled to The Gambia from Germany on several occasions to
claim her money but could not get it.

"I see the cars plying the roads with no number plates and now the Customs and
Excise officials are asking me to pay the duties on the cars..." Ms Danso said.

Acting on behalf of Ms Danso, Lawyer Ousman Sillah has written a letter to
Badjie on August 17.

The letter read: "Our client says that sometime in August 1999 before she
travelled to Germany, she left her business which she was running under the
registered name of MA Import Export Limited in your care as her agent with a
total of 13 cars for sale.

That subsequently, she sent an additional 10 cars, making a total of 23 cars,
the total sum of the cars amounts to D429,000.

Furthermore, our client has earlier reached an agreement with one Ebrima Jobe
for the supply of vehicles for which you received D100,000 on her behalf, but
not having supplied the cars, our client instructed that the said D100,000 be
refunded to Mr. Jobe which until this moment you have not done.

Our client also left an apartment by Sabena Airlines, Kairaba Avenue, which you
were supposed to maintain for her by settling the rents and bills, you failed to
do so, leading to her ejection from the said premises and saddling her with
liability of D6,500 for electricity bills incurred by you which she settled.

Our client informed you that she was coming to The Gambia by the 22 June to
collect her money, you assured her that she could come, whereupon she bought a
one week confirmed ticket and came to The Gambia. Pursuant to your promise to
pay by the July 15, our client had to wait and incurred an expense of D90,000 in
renewing her ticket confirmation. As a result of your inability to maintain the
said apartment our client, had to move to a hotel where she spent two weeks at
the rate of D400 a night and spent D5,600.

From the foregoing, our client has suffered a lot of inconvenience as a result
of your delay in settling the debt, whereupon we are instructed to demand the
above amount from you.

Take note that you are to pay our client through this chambers the sum of
D431,100 being the total balance of what you owe our client.

Further, take note that you have ten days from the date of this letter to make
the said payment. Failing which we shall go to court to enforce our client's
right and claim additional damages and without further notice to you from this
chambers.

Being aware of the consequences of litigation, we hope you will wisely avoid
same by adhering strictly to the terms of this letter."

'13 Badjie' was unavailable for comment yesterday as he was said to be pursuing
a professional degree course abroad.

Contacted for a reaction to Ms Danso's allegations, the Police PRO, Abdoulie
Sanyang, went berserk, "13 Badjie has not absconded he was sent by the
government to undertake a course and who the f...k is that lady to say that she
has absconded, when the authorities said he hasn't, and I will sue you in court
if you dare associate this story with my Tuesday denial of 13 Badjie's
absconding."

When contacted, the deputy inspector general of police, Tamsir Jasseh, said,
"The police have nothing to do with the private life of '13 Badjie'."

Badjie's family at Kotu South were not available for immediate comment.

Lamin Kujabi contributed to this story.

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