By: Dawda Baldeh
Juliet Ryan, a British national residing in the Gambia, has vowed to file a counter sue against one Alhagie Samba Bah, a Gambian car dealer who reportedly threatened to get her deported over an exchange car deal.
The two are said to have entered into a car exchange deal in 2022 which ended after Juliet discovered the car had several mechanical problems and was likely stolen.
“I exchanged my 2018 Range Rover Evoque model worth D700,000 dalasi for a Range Rover Sport valued at 1.7 million dalasis. I paid a cash price of D590,000 dalasis and was supposed to pay an outstanding D410,000 dalasi but the car is not good,” she said.
She was recently sued by Alhagie for not paying the outstanding D410,000 dalasis. A court order has been made already and her car is under custody.
Juliet said she will counter sue Alhagie to get her money back after discovering the car was not good and subsequently involved in a court case for the same problems.
The British woman said the car is not fit for purpose and that has been the reason she has not completed the payment, demanding a car replacement.
“Alhagie knew the car was not good but he deceived me. When I detected the problems and informed him, he never admitted the car was faulty. He breaches the deal because he sold me a car which is not good and was involved in a court case for the same reason.
Alhagie has been making everything possible so that he will not return my money or replace the car and he has been threatening to get me deported. He agreed to exchange the car for another vehicle that was being shipped but it never materialized,” she explained.
She added the car was diagnosed with 19 mechanical faults by her mechanic.
“Alhagie knew the car was condemned but he wants me to pay the balance for a car that is not good. Now I’m stocked because I don’t have any car and I have business to run,” she explained.
A report published by the Point Newspaper on 2nd December 2021, revealed that the same Ranger Rover Sports Autobiography Hybrid with VIN Number: SALWA2LFXGA542996 was sold by Alhagie Samba Bah to Alassan Gent Ceesay in April 2019 for the sum of D1.5 million.
The matter ended in court after Alassan discovered the Range Rover was not good and was stolen. A judgment delivered by Justice S. Wadda Cisse ordered Alhagie to refund the sum of D1.5 million dalasis to Alassan the same car he sold to Juliet Ryan in 2022.
When contacted for comments, Alhagie Samba Bah confirmed having issues with Juliet over a D410,000 balance she owed him as part of a car exchange deal. He denied threatening Juliet with deportation.
“I am not an immigration officer, so I cannot decide who should be deported. She is owing me money, and if she is deported, I will lose my money,” he said.
When asked about the issue of the car being involved in a court case, he responded, “The court will decide on those claims she is making. I sold Juliet a second-hand car and she also gave me a second-hand car. She doesn’t want to pay my money that is why she is making all these allegations against me.”
Bah said few months later the car Juliet gave him had an engine problem and is currently at a mechanic garage.
