By Amadou Jadama
Principal Magistrate Muhammed Krubally of Banjul has found one Alagie Dicko guilty of defrauding US$170,000 from Ousainou Mahanera, a native of Gambisarra Lamoi village, resident in the United States.
Dicko was ordered to repay US$180,000 to Mahanera in default to serve two years in prison; and pay a fine of D100,000 in default to serve a year in prison.
Between 2021 and 2024, Dicko, called Mahanera impersonating Imam Abdoulie Fatty, Imam Chebou Cham and others including President Adama Barrow asking for money to support Qur’anic schools, orphanages, buy lands for madrassas and drill boreholes for repressed communities. Over the period, Maharena wired him monies 66 times which receipts were tendered in court.
Dicko who was unrepresented at the trial, pleaded guilty to a single count of obtaining money by false pretence
According to police prosecutor ASP E Sarr, Dicko first met Mahanera in 2018 at Imam Ali Trawally’s Arabic school and in 2019 started impersonating Imam Fatty to seek assistance for his purported 200 students. He later started impersonating Imam Chebou Cham and others including the president to defraud Mahanera until he was busted and arraigned.
ASP Sarr added that during the investigation, it was discovered that Dicko had multiple passports bearing different names including Alagie Camara.
Asked to respond to the charges, Dicko averred that “the facts are correct” but denied the veracity of certain statements.
In handing down the judgement, Magistrate Krubally said the court had no option but to emphatically enter judgement in favour of the prosecution.
In his plea of mitigation, Dicko begged for mercy saying: “I did not lie to the court and I spoke the truth. I did not spend the money to build a house and I did not keep it in my account but to travel. I have a wife with three kids and I have a family. I intended that after I successfully travelled I would reimburse the complainant but it did not happen. I tried to travel to the USA many times but I was not successful. Therefore, I plead to the court for an installment basis. I can pay D50,000 every month if the court permits me.“
But Magistrate Krubally said Dicko caused Mahanera and his business partners Muhamadou Dukureh, ‘Hamidou’ serious substantial economic losses and declined his application for payment in installment and accordingly sentenced him.
