Sometime in 2011, the owner of Jadama Real Estate company, Landing Jadama bought 9 plots of land from the Assets Management and Recovery Corporation, AMRC, a government agency.
The purchase followed an advertisement by the agency about the availability of such plots at Paradise Estate.
Jadama paid for the plots directly to the managing director of the Corporation Aboulie Tamba as directed and obtained officially authenticated assignments for each plot.
He was now ready to resell the plots to his customers who began developing their plots.
However, few months after, he was asked by police to stop developing the area and he himself was arrested and charged with obtaining money by false pretense when his customers asked for a refund of their monies.
Jadama pleaded not guilty and was sure there was no case against him since he obtained the plots from a government department with all official authentic documents.
However in between, the managing director of AMRC Aboulie Tamba fled The Gambia and was wanted by government for alleged stealing of money from the AMRC.
Before he fled the country though, Tamba reportedly told the investigating panel that Jadama’s plots were obtained legally and he had paid the cost of the plots to himself and was issued the right and legal documents to that effect.
That did not satisfy the police who dragged him to court for obtaining money by false pretense.
But according to Jadama, the most dramatic thing that made the whole show look like a cooked conspiracy was when State House wrote to the magistrate handling his case directing him to convict him by all means.
The executive order obtained by The Standard directed Justice Hilary Abeke to convict and sentence Jadama to a mandatory jail term without option of a fine and order him to refund the monies of his clients.
A helpless and reluctant Magistrate Abeke publicly told Jadama in court that his hands were tied by the interference of a presidential directive but he would do his best under the circumstances.
“Abeke convicted me but gave me an option of fine and I was able to refund some of my clients but for those I could not refund, I was sentenced to nine years jail term which I was serving until the government of Adama Barrow released me,” Jadama told The Standard.
The real estate manager said even though he was bitter about his illegal imprisonment through presidential interference, his biggest pain came from the damage it has done to his reputation and that is one thing he wants to clear.
“I have never been involved in any criminal activity in my life and my case is one of many innocent people sent to jail by presidential directives, especially where he has interest. What has the fleeing or stealing of money by the AMRC manager to do with my legitimate purchasing of land from them?” he asked.
Jadama said he has decided to speak out so that his esteemed clients and the public will know the truth about his false imprisonment and trumped-up charges.
