One Matilda Jikinneh recently testified against one Pa Sako, at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court, claiming D80, 000 in respect of visa transaction.
Jikinneh told the court that on 18 July 2010, the defendant and her sister-in-law came to her house, where the sister in-law said the defendant told her that his job was to procure visa for people.
She said when she enquired to know how much money he needed to procure a visa for her, the defendant charged her D80, 000 and told her she could pay by installment.
There and then the defendant demanded from her D20, 000, her passport and two passport-size photos in the presence of her husband, adding that he took her number and promised her if there was any information he would inform her.
She added that the defendant later called her and requested another D21, 000 so that he could go with her to Turkey and three weeks later, he called her and said they should have taken a flight from Dakar on 28 August 2011, but before that date, he went to Dakar for the tickets and found out that the ticket cost had been increased, and asked her to complete the payment, which she did.
“I started calling him to ask whether the scheduled date would be suitable, but he never picked my phone calls neither responded to my text messages,” she explained.
She said she asked one Ballang Barrow whether he knew the defendant and his house and Barrow said he did know his house, adding that she called him and the defendant said to her that he was still on the process.
When she realised that the defendant could not do the work as promised, she asked him to refund her money, but he promised her again that he was returning to
Then, she said, she continued to go to the defendant’s house but she would never meet him.
“On 31 December, I returned to him and complained to him again and told him that if he did not refund my money, I will report the matter to the police, which I did and later he was arrested by the CID,” she testified.
At the police station, he was asked whether he owed her any money to which he admitted. The police then ordered him to pay her back the money. He therefore promised to pay in bits but later failed.
Meanwhile, the defendant was given a court order to pay the rest of the money within three months.
