Senegalese security personnel have arrested Gambian socialite and businesswoman Aisha Fatty at the Karang border on Saturday afternoon.
According to information relayed by both Gambian and Senegalese news sites, Ms Fatty was travelling to the Senegalese resort town of Saly, Mbour, to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
She was detained for several hours at the border before being transferred to Dakar for questioning by agents of the Senegalese Cyber Security Division.
Reports stated that she was interrogated about mobile telephone screenshots and audio recordings she allegedly made to blackmail her jilted fiancé Abdoulaye Thiam dating from 2021.
Mr Thiam has sued Ms Fatty at the Banjul High Court demanding the return of about two million dollars in cash, assets and materials he claimed he spent on her after she promised to marry him, a commitment she abandoned. She later married another man.
According to affidavits filed in court by Mr Thiam’s lawyers, in anticipation of the marriage, the two travelled to Dubai and Paris, where Thiam spent US$100,000 and 100,000 euros respectively on luxury items such as designer bags and watches.
Fatty also allegedly received U$50,000 for the purchase of African clothing in Nigeria and benefited from a substantial monthly allowance.
In addition, Thiam claimed he invested in a three-storey real estate complex for 150,000 euros and purchased a villa in Fajara Waterfront for 19,500,000 dinars. A sum of 822,000,000 CFA francs was also spent on the purchase of gold, for commercial purposes attributed to Ms Fatty.
The wedding, initially planned for the end of December 2021, ultimately did not take place.
Thiam claimed that Ms Fatty’s decision not to marry him resulted in significant financial losses and considerable embarrassment to his family, colleagues and friends.
The Standard contacted Lamin Camara, Aisha Fatty’s lawyer in The Gambia about his client’s predicament in Senegal but could not reach him.
However, he told Kerr Fatou that he will collaborate with legal partners in Senegal to support her defense.
