By Omar Bah
Juliet Ryan, a British national, has accused one Alhagie Samba Bah of threatening to ensure she is deported if she reported a disputed car deal between the two.
Juliet alleged that she reached an agreement with Bah for a vehicle exchange and as part of the exchange agreement, she was to give her car to Bah and top it up with over D1.2 million get Bah’s car.
“But few days after the exchange I realised that Bah’s vehicle had many issues and I took it to a mechanic who detected 19 mechanical issues and also informed me the car’s engine number is changed and that mainly happens if it is stolen,” she said.
Juliet said she immediately contacted Mr Bah to inform him about the issue and demanded that he return her money and car. “But he said my car was damaged and I told him if that is the case then I don’t want my car back in that state but he keeps avoiding me. A few days later he came to pick his car from me and took it to his mechanic who claimed that the problem was minor which is untrue,” Juliet said.
She alleged that she later discovered that her car, which Mr Bah claimed was damaged, was in fact sold withoutits documents.
“It is still in my name,” she stated.
She alleged that she kept putting pressure on Mr Bah about the issue but each time Bah would threaten her with deportation if she ever reported the matter to the media.
“He told me that a certain cabinet minister is his father and if I make the mistake of reporting the matter to the media, he will make sure I am deported,” Juliet alleged.
She alleged that Mr Bah later went to the Banjul Magistrates’ Court and secured an ex parte to hand over the vehicle he exchanged with her to the court’s custody until she pays his remaining balance. The said court ex parte seen by The Standard, ordered that the Range Rover in possession of Juliet be arrested and brought under the Banjul Magistrates’ Court in order to resolve the matter between the two people. The court also ordered the applicant, Bah, to immediately file a substantive suit as soon as possible and serve the defendant, Juliet.
“As I speak, I don’t have a car – the one I gave Bah for exchange and the advance of D510, 000 still remains with him and now with this court order taken, the car he gave to me too has gone,” she cried.
Bah’s reaction
When contacted for comments, Alhagie Samba Bah confirmed having issue with Juliet over a D410, 000 balance she owed him as part of a car exchange agreement but denied ever threatening her with deportation.
“Deportation threats? No, that is completely false,” he said.
Commenting on the vehicle transaction, Mr Bah added: “Juliet contacted me few months ago that she needed a car and I told her that I have a Range Rover Sport car that I am selling for D2 million. She said she was interested but her financial situation was not good at the time and will want to give me her car and some cash and she will pay the rest in instalments. I accepted and we valued her car for D700, 000 and she put a deposit of D510, 000 and I issued her a receipt and she promised to pay the rest within three months. She later paid D100, 000, remaining D410, 000.”
Bah said few months later the vehicle Juliet gave him had an engine problem.
“It was much later that she started complaining about the car I gave her and whenever she complained of any fault, I would fix it. At some point I asked her for my balance of D410, 000 but she was unwilling to cooperate with me and insisted that we should reach an agreement that my father should not be involved in the case which I refused because that makes no sense. So, because of that I went to court and sought an ex-parte,” he said.
