M. Tage/Susso, Remember Yaya's Boy Babanding Susso(no relation I hope?) An old story... --------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 08:53:29 -0400 (EDT) From: Nicolas A Stettler <[log in to unmask]> To: Saul Saidykhan <[log in to unmask]>Subject: more gambian news More gambian news: MIAMI (Reuter) - A Gambian millionaire who delighted Miami with his largesse is going to jail after a judge ruled he was not protected by diplomatic immunity when he tried to bribe a customs officer, the U.S. attorney's office said Tuesday. Foutanga Dit Babani Sissoko, 51, pleaded guilty in March to offering $30,000 to a customs agent to permit the export of two military helicopters to Gambia without proper licenses. The Gambian government intervened, saying he had diplomatic status as a ``special adviser to a special mission to the United States'' to buy the helicopters. But District Judge Michael Moore disagreed in a ruling Monday. He said the Gambian government had not properly informed the U.S. government of Sissoko's status and the State Department had never authorized it. Moore had sentenced Sissoko to four months in jail and four months of house arrest. He must serve a remaining 41 days inprison. While awaiting his fate, Sissoko took up residence in a luxury apartment and managed his business empire of gold, oil, hotels, casinos and an airline. Known as a generous benefactor of the poor in Africa, his largesse became legendary in Miami. Sissoko gave a masseuse a $10,000 tip, a high school marching band $300,000, a car to a woman he met at an auto dealership and his a lawyer a Mercedes.Take care. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------