By Sulayman Waan
Former Gambian diamond dealer is claiming a sum of $2.2 million from Senegal’s government, alleging that official of the West African nation confiscated 186.4g diamond worth GMD 25 Million from him upon his arrival at the country’s airport from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006.
Morry Gassama disclosed this in an interview with The Voice on Thursday. He said the claims are damages including judgment delay, carat, custom fees, legal fees, disruption of business, and interest on yearly basis among other expenditures.
“I am claiming $2.2 million from the Senegalese government. I am very surprised at Senegalese officials for confiscating my diamond for over a decade, knowing that The Gambia and Senegal are one and the same people,” he said.
Mr Gassama left The Gambia at the age of 15 for Sierra Leone, where he started dealing in diamond. He later returned home and established his petroleum station in Basse before finally heading to DR of Congo, formerly Congo Kinshasa, where he notched up to an international diamond dealer.
“I travelled to all over the world including the United State of America, Belgium, African countries among others but I never see a situation similar to what happened to me in Senegal,” said Mr Gassama.
Returning home in 2006, his diamond got confiscated from him in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, by custom officers, he said.
“At the airport in Dakar, the Senegalese called their officers to inspect the diamond and those officers told them that the value of the diamond.
When the custom officers checked the diamond, they told me to pay 10 million CFA for custom duty, and I paid the amount, but shockingly my diamond was seized by the officers,” he explained.
He added that “But I went with the Senegalese authorities to court over the confiscation of my diamond for 11months.”
Despite the court ruling in his favour and demanded the authorities to hand him the diamonds, Gassama still could not lay hand on his properties.
“The Court ruled that the state have to take three million and nine hundred thousand (3,900, 000) CFA from the money I paid to the custom and they should return six million and one hundred thousand (6,100,000 CFA) as well as the diamond to me but the customs officials refused to do so,” he said.
“Later on, the custom appealed the case at the Senegalese Court of Appeal but case also ruled in my favour,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Gassama said he has engaged both The Gambia Government and its Senegalese counterpart in order to regain his diamond. He said he had informed the Senegal’s Justice Ministry about the custom’s refusal to respect the court ruling.
“Later on the Ministry of Justice referred me to the Procure General (PG) and the Procure General wanted to give me 20 million CFA so that I forget about the diamond but I refused to do that,” he said.
He added that after declining the PG’s dishonesty, he (PG) told him that he will never get his diamond until he dies.
An attestation document shared with The Voice dated 6 March, 2008 stated that “I, the undersigned, Mr. A L Ousseynou Thiam, Jeweler resident in Dakar at No.100 Rue Joseph Gomis x Amadou Assane Ndoye, hereby confirm that on this day, I went to the premises of the Department of Intelligent and Combat against Fraud on 6 March 2006, at 11:45 Am following request by the Director General of Custom. This was to evaluate the goods that were confiscated and minute under reference no. 18/06/BPR. The valuation took place in the presence of Messrs Amadou LY, Alassane Bailla Ba, Ibrahim Seck and Lamin Keita who are all respectively Customs and Gendarmerie officers of the afore-mentioned Department.”
However, he said former President Jammeh has tried his best so that Senegal government to allow the return of the diamond but said it was not possible while calling on President Barrow to work with his Senegalese counterpart to ensure he gets back his rightful property.
Also, he has addressed a letter to him concerning the diamond saga, but President Barrow referred him to the Gambia’s Justice Ministry.
Gassama added that he met the former Minister of Justice, Abubacar Ba Tambedu, and Cherno Marena, Solicitor General they also promised to address a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to re-engage the Senegalese Government.
He called on the two governments to work in their diplomatic relation to ensure he get his diamond or money back.
