Assets Management and Recovery Corporation Operations Manager, Sering Mass Loum, on Tuesday testified at the ongoing Lands Commission, which is chaired by Justice Mahoney and sitting at the high court premises in Banjul.
In his testimony, Loum told the commission that he is a resident of Old Jeshwang and that he joined the AMRC since 1991, as an assistant manager and now the operations manager.
When asked to explain the procedures for getting land from the AMRC, Loum said when somebody buys land from the AMRC, the approval will be made by the Managing Director of the AMRC.
He said the approval is conveyed to the buyer, and the buyer will pay the price of the property at the cashier at the AMRC office.
According to him, the cashier will collect the money and issue a receipt to the buyer.
Still testifying before the Lands Commission, Loum said the cashier will pay the money into the AMRC account at the bank.
The operations manager said the procedure is that the person will normally come to the AMRC and pay, so that his or her details will be collected and written, and a receipt will be issued to him or her.
He said the money will then be collected and paid to the bank account of the AMRC, adding that those who pay directly to the bank account will come to the AMRC for their details to be processed as part of the transaction.
When he was shown a file for inspection, Loum told the commission that one Ousainou Jeng was representing Modou Secka, and Ousainou Jeng was coming with the money for the transaction at the AMRC.
He said Ousainou Jeng personally bought a property from the AMRC that was forfeited from one Abdoulie Bojang in Fajara, and sold to Ousainou Jeng on behalf of Modou Secka in the sum of D508,000 and a lawyer was assigned to prepare a deed of assignment.
He said Ousainou Jeng later sold the property to one Matarr Faal, and that the AMRC had never dealt with Modou Secka.
Loum added that he could only remember the Fajara house transaction involving Modou Secka, and Ousainou was the only customer to AMRC.
When he was asked about one Alhagie Jawara, he said the said Alhagie Jawara got a property in Bijilo, and AMRC expressed interest in it.
He said the property was 100 x 232 m and it was an agricultural land, adding that the AMRC effected the change of land use, and this was done by the AMRC Managing Director.
He promised to tell the AMRC Managing Director that the commission wanted to look at the said file. He insisted that the AMRC had never dealt in any transaction with Modou Secka, saying that the AMRC all along was dealing with Ousainou Jeng.
Alhagie Jawara
Also testifying before the Lands Commission, one Alhagie Jawara a businessman explained his transactions with the AMRC.
He said he bought land from one Modou Faye in 1993 in Bijilo, adding that it was a customary land.
He told the commission that at the time of buying the said land it was already a lease, stating that the AMRC expressed interest in the land.
“I divided the land and sold a portion to AMRC. The size was 100 x 232 metres,” he explained.
He further told the commission that he sold the land to AMRC for agricultural purposes, and that he had all the necessary documents in connection to the said land.
At that junction he was asked the amount at which he sold the said land, and Mr Jawara revealed that he sold a portion of the land to AMRC for an amount of D9.5 million (nine million and five hundred thousand dalasis).
Mr Jawara was also told to provide the said documents to the commission.
