By Admin
The police prosecution in Brikama has arraigned Muhammed Tambadou and Alagie Camara on four counts of criminal offences of felony and obtaining money by false pretences.
The Brikama Police Prosecution has arraigned Muhammed Tambadou and Alagie Camara on four counts of felony and obtaining money by false pretences.
On the first count, the duo is charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, contrary to Section 368 of the Criminal Code. The charge alleges that in November 2024, at Sinchu Alagie, Tambadou and Camara conspired to commit theft.
The second count accuses them of obtaining money by false pretences, contrary to Section 288 of the Criminal Code. According to the charge, in November 2024, at Sinchu Alagie, the defendants fraudulently obtained D1,064,000.00 from Fakebba Ceesay under the false claim of selling six vehicles, including a Range Rover Sport and a Mercedes-Benz GLE AMG53 (2023 model).
On the third count, the accused face a similar charge under Section 288 of the Criminal Code. Prosecutors claim they deceitfully obtained D1,328,000.00 from Abdoulie Kanyi, falsely promising to sell four Mercedes-Benz GLE AMG53 (2016 model) vehicles.
The final count alleges that Tambadou and Camara fraudulently obtained an undisclosed sum from Muidin Hydara in November 2024, claiming they would sell him a Mercedes-Benz GLE AMG53 (2023 model).
Both defendants pleaded not guilty, prompting the prosecution to call its first witness, Alassan Ceesay, CEO of Rahma Foods.
Taking the stand, Ceesay, who resides in England but conducts food trading and manufacturing businesses in The Gambia and the UK, testified that he knew the accused due to a business transaction in November 2024. He recounted that after completing his studies at Cambridge in October, he planned to return to The Gambia to expand his business. As part of his preparations, he instructed his nephew, Fakebba Ceesay, to find a reliable vehicle for his operations.
Meanwhile, he continued searching online through Facebook and other social media platforms when he came across a post featuring a Range Rover Sport and a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLE AMG53, shared by a man named Mustapha Jabbie.
Curious, he reached out to Mustapha, who informed him that he was acting on behalf of the first accused, Muhammed Tambadou, and Alagie Camara. Mustapha then referred him to Alagie, who resided in Germany and was familiar with Mustapha’s family, though they had no direct personal relationship.
He further testified that his initial contact with Mustapha occurred around November 3, 2024, and that he also reached out to Alagie Camara on November 1 to inquire about the vehicle’s condition. Alagie introduced himself as a vehicle dealer, claiming he had acquired the car through an auction. He later provided Ceesay with video evidence and an audio recording of the vehicle via WhatsApp.
Ceesay confirmed his interest in the vehicle and was subsequently referred to Muhammed Tambadou, whom Alagie described as his brother and business partner.
On November 4, 2024, he spoke with Muhammed, who assured him that the business was legitimate. Muhammed explained that he was the local partner responsible for handling contracts, signing agreements, and receiving payments. Following this conversation, Ceesay sent his nephew, Fa Kebba Ceesay, to meet Muhammed in person.
Ceesay testified that Fa Kebba Ceesay met the first accused on November 6th. During their discussions, the first accused confirmed that the car was for business and belonged to him. After receiving feedback from Fa Kebba, Ceesay contacted Muhammed for the second time, and Muhammed expressed his willingness to proceed with the purchase of two vehicles—a black Mercedes GLE 350 and a white Range Rover.
Alhagie sent him pictures of the cars, and they agreed on a total price of 2.9 million dalasis. Ceesay then made a deposit of 950,000 dalasis to Muhammed, the first accused, through Fa Kebba.
The deposit covered the two vehicles for Fa Kebba—the Range Rover and the Mercedes—while the remaining balance was to be paid upon delivery. However, Ceesay revealed that Kanyi had also placed a deposit for three cars, including the same Mercedes-Benz that was later sold to him. It turned out that Alhagie had already paid for this vehicle as part of his order.
Before making the payment, Ceesay requested the first accused to draft a sales contract. Once completed, the contract was shared with Muhammed, who approved and signed it through his nephew, Fa Kebba, on his behalf.
He stated that on November 6th, Fa Kebba made an initial payment of D80,000, followed by another payment of D15,000 on November 11th. A receipt for the second payment was provided to him by Muhammed, along with photo evidence sent via WhatsApp. It was agreed that the vehicle would be delivered, and the remaining balance would be paid upon delivery. He was informed that he would be in The Gambia on December 10th, and both Muhammed Tambadou and his partner, Alhagie Camara, assured him that the vehicles would arrive before then. Alhagie further assured him that the vehicles had been shipped to Senegal, where they would take approximately 15 days before reaching The Gambia.
Ceesay told the court that upon his arrival in The Gambia, the vehicle never arrived. Both the first and second accused started making excuses and eventually stopped answering his calls. Alhagie was unresponsive, and despite calling Muhammed 20 times, he received no answer. Suddenly, he received a call from Alhagie, who informed him that the vehicles were in Senegal. However, when he went to collect them, he was asked for additional payment.”Alhagie Camara said to me that they need more money for Muhammed to release the vehicle in Senegal. They sent another guy to collect the equivalent of 350 euros,”
He stated that someone named Sillah, whose full name he could not recall, came to collect the 300 euros. However, he was only able to provide D111,000. He handed the money to his nephew, Fa Kebba, who then met with Sillah and gave him the cash. A video and a picture were taken as evidence and sent to him.
He was assured that the vehicles would be delivered on January 15, 2024, but they never arrived. Both accused individuals stopped answering his calls once again. Two days later, Alhaji sent another person, possibly his sister Mariama Camara, claiming they owed her 3,000 dalasis for fuel costs to transport the vehicles to The Gambia. Ceesay sent the payment to Mariama through a money transfer service and provided proof of the transaction to Alhaji. After that, they went silent once more.
Ceesay attempted to contact them repeatedly, making over thirty calls, all of which went unanswered. Frustrated, he decided to investigate Muhammed’s whereabouts. When he arrived at Muhammed’s home, family members informed him that Muhammed was inside. However, shortly after, Muhammed called to say he was in Brikama. Determined to meet him, Ceesay then traveled there.
“I met him and explained the situation, but he couldn’t say anything concrete,” Ceesay testified. “He only stated that he had spoken to Alagie and asked about the cars they supposedly picked up in Senegal, claiming they were sent with seven pickups, and that he would consult with Alagie. I left, expecting him to get back to me, but he didn’t. I had to chase after him. He then said he was in Dakar.”
He testified that he then launched an investigation into the accused and discovered that they had been collecting money from multiple individuals for the same vehicles. He subsequently reported the matter to the Serious Crime Unit.
Ceesay expressed deep disappointment, stating that he felt “tremendously bad” and “totally fooled” by the accused, who had initially seemed trustworthy. He confirmed that he had not recovered any of the money.
The court received the sales agreement and payment receipts as evidence, with Ceesay verifying their authenticity. He testified that the total amount he had paid to the accused was D1,064,000.00.
The sales agreement was officially admitted as Exhibit D1. The trial remains ongoing, with the prosecution expected to present additional evidence.