Direct Aid pays over D1.7m to settle civil cases involving 26 people

The debtors were entangled in legal issues after they failed to settle monies they owed to their creditors. The monies were paid directly to the courts.

Speaking at a ceremony held at Brufut, Direct Aid International The Gambia country director, Abdoulatiff Ourahou, spoke at length on the significance of the gesture, while describing it as timely; taking into account that some of the individuals who borrowed from some business men and women were unable to pay back the monies, hence they should have appeared before the courts.

“Alhamdulillah that we were able to secure some funding with a view to settle some of your arrears. What is important is for both you the debtors and the creditors to maintain the good cordial working relationship that used to exist before. We all know we are in a trying time at the moment due to the pandemic. Therefore, we hope that this will be the beginning of a new future.”

“Let’s forget about the past and open a new page and also cement the already existing relationship among ourselves. The debtors were not able to pay the creditors their monies due to some reasons. I hope now all is over. I pray that Almighty Allah rewards the donors for their timely gesture.”  

Sainabou Charreh, a native of Brusubi and a business woman who was among the creditors, thanked Direct Aid and the donors for coming to their aid, saying: “As businesswomen and Muslims, it’s not our intention to also take our debtors to court over unsettled arrears. However, we were also forced to do so due to the difficulties we are encountering as a result of the pandemic and we also want to ensure the sustainability of our businesses. If we don’t get these monies back, personally it was going to affect my business.”

Charreh who sells furniture and house materials, added that she offered credit of over D200,000 to three people. “They normally come to me and I give them materials for them to resell. The first person owes me D117, 500 and the second person D69, 500, while the third person owes me D25, 000. So, at least I expect to get back these monies in order to import materials from Dubai or other countries.”

For his part, Momodou Sowe said he lent money worth D27, 500, adding: “I have been doing everything possible to get back my money but to no avail. I was left with no option than to go to court. However, I am so grateful today that Direct Aid through their donors has come to the aids of the debtors and helped settle their arrears. As Muslims, this is what is expected from us. We need to support each other in times of difficulties.”