By Yankuba Jallow
Fafa Ceesay, a businessman and resident of Old Yundum, has sued Lawyer Edward A. Gomez, before Principal
Magistrate Abeke, of the Kanifing Magistrate’s court, yesterday, 16 May, 2017.
The witness in his testimony said he had four empty plots of land which were sold to him illegally and on the second day of the month of Ramadan, 2016 he contracted the services of Lawyer Gomez, to take the matter to court. He added that he went with a man named Pa Habib Mbye to the Defendant (Lawyer Gomez) who was an officer of the Gambia police force at the time.
Mr. Ceesay said the Defendant charged him ten thousand dalasis (D10000) for each plot because of Mr. Mbye’s presence, after which he paid Lawyer Gomez twenty thousand (D20000) as an advance payment. Continuing, Mr. Ceesay said the empty plots have Alkalo certificates and the Defendant asked him to pay five thousand dalasis (D5000) for the official transfer, for each plot of land.
“Two months later I asked Edward whether he had issued summon but he asked for the remaining balance,” he said. He explained that Barrister Gomez asked him to pay the twenty thousand he owed him before he can serve the summon and at that instance he pleaded with him, to summon the two people he had paid for; but that he insisted for the balance to be paid first.
“The following day I brought D8,000.00 for him but he told me he is not going to serve them a summon but a letter,” Mr. Ceesay narrated. He also said that those people are not reliable meaning they will not respond to the letter upon receiving it. He further said that lawyer Gomez wrote three and assigned one of his clerks to take the letters to the people who sold the land to him illegally.
“A month later there was no reply to the letters, so I requested from my Attorney to serve them a summon but he asked for D1500,” he said; that after one week, he went to lawyer Gomez who was at the Banjul High Court to enquire about the summon, but was asked to give two thousand dalasi (D2000)again, because the D1500 given earlier, was exhaustedly used for his personal purpose.
At this juncture, the trial Magistrate adjourned the matter for continuation of hearing today, at 9am. Both plaintiff and defendant were not represented by counsel.
