One Mohammed Drammeh recently testified in his defence at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court in a visa case brought against him.
He revealed to the court that he was taken to the plaintiff, Oladotun Awobenu, by his friend who told him that he knew someone who could procure him a visa, adding that they both went to see the plaintiff with another person called Adama.
The said Adama assured him that he could obtain him a visa and so charged him D120, 000 and one person called Hagie called the plaintiff and the plaintiff too told him that he could but he needed the defendant’s passport and the defendant told him the passport was in Dakar, that he had to collect it from Dakar.
The plaintiff then demanded D5, 000 with the passport, Drammeh said, adding that D2, 500 would have been used for the process of the documents and another CFA40, 000, which all would have been deducted from the total amount.
He added that Adama told him his uncle had procured a two-week visa through him.
He added that when the documents which were to be presented were ready he was called by the plaintiff to go to the embassy in
“I went to the embassy and the embassy told me that I should return on 30 June 2011. On that day, I collected the passport, which was valued for only four days,” he added.
He said further that when he returned from Dakar after few days he was informed by his brother that he had run away, adding that they later went to the plaintiff’s shop and asked for the passport but the plaintiff insisted that he should be paid before issuing the passport to them.
He said the brother offered him D10,000 with a title deed and promised to pay the balance in three days’ time, because it was during the weekends and the banks were not operating, adding that he was also supposed to take a flight the following Monday.
The defendant added that he had tried by all means to pay the rest of the balance of money but could not and the plaintiff took the matter to the police and later to court.
The case was then adjourned till 22 December 2011, for judgment.