By Omar Bah
Jody Colly, a British national has alleged that her fifty thousand pounds bar, has been illegally confiscated and re-registered to one Kawsu Ceesay, a Gambian national.
She said on 6 August while she was at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court, she received a call from one of her staff at the bar that the bar has been closed, claiming she was never served with a notice prior to the closure.
“It was when I reached the bar that they served me with a small piece of paper only to tell me that the bar has been renamed from Haggler to Hagglers,” the tearful British woman told The Standard.
Speaking further, Madam Colly said she cannot understand why Kawsu Ceesay is selling her belongings in the bar.
“They have put all my belongings ranging from freezers, cookers, drinks to bears worth over £50,000 on sale…Everything that I have is in there. Even my passport is still in the bar and I cannot lay my hands on it because Kawsu Ceesay would not let me. I think my case is one of the worst that has ever happened in The Gambia,” she added.
She said she acquired the bar three years ago from Roy Lees who is also a British national after it has been closed down “because Roy who puts his money into it had gone bankrupt.”
She said to her knowledge Roy Lees was the one who was putting his money into the bar and Kawsu Ceesay, the said new owner, was brought in as a Gambian to serve as the owner to save Roy Lees and Sam Hagar, his partner from paying the D40, 000 expat’s quota.
“So because of that Kawsu Ceesay thought he owns everything. So when Roy was closing the bar he had a problem with Kawsu who ended up suing him for wrongful dismissal but that case was thrown out of court,” she explained.
“…And for three years I have been paying its lease and I have run the bar very respectfully. I have also been paying all my taxes and abided by the laws of The Gambia,” she said
Kawsu Ceesay’s reaction
Meanwhile when contacted for his reaction, Kawsu Ceesay the new owner of the bar, said the person Jody Colly is claiming to have sold the bar to her was just an investor and has nothing to do with the bar.
“I have known Jody Colly for a while and I am the one who invited her to the bar but she in turn started destroying me to Roy Lees telling him I am a black man and that I might sell the place,” he claimed.
He said it was during that time that Roy Lees and his partner Sam Hagar decided to close the place.
“When they closed the bar I sued them and the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court has since ruled in my favor and handed the bar to me and all the materials in the bar are now mine. I have been calling Jody Colly for us to settle the matter amicably but she is not willing to listen,” he said.
