A man identified as Alagie Dicko has been found guilty of defrauding US$170,000 from Ousainou Mahanera, a Gambian residing in the United States, by impersonating prominent figures including President Adama Barrow and Islamic clerics.
The verdict was delivered by Principal Magistrate Muhammed Krubally in Banjul, who ordered Dicko to repay US$180,000 to the victim or face two years in prison. Additionally, Dicko was fined D100,000, with a default sentence of one year in prison.
Between 2021 and 2024, Dicko contacted Mahanera multiple times while pretending to be Imam Abdoulie Fatty, Imam Chebou Cham, and others. He claimed he needed funds to support Qur’anic schools, orphanages, and development projects like land purchases and borehole drilling. Mahanera, believing the requests were genuine, sent money 66 times—evidence of which was presented in court.
The police stated that Dicko first met Mahanera in 2018 and began impersonating well-known individuals a year later to solicit funds. He even had multiple passports under different names, including Alagie Camara.
During the trial, Dicko pleaded guilty to obtaining money by false pretence. He admitted to the facts of the case but contested some of the statements. In his plea for leniency, he said he used the money in unsuccessful attempts to travel to the U.S. and promised to repay the amount in monthly installments of D50,000.
However, the magistrate rejected his plea, citing the significant financial harm caused to Mahanera and his associates, and delivered a firm sentence without installment options.
