Until 10:39am in the morning of 7th November, 2018, Mrs. Binta Sarge, her mum and five other siblings; two boys and three sisters were staying in a peaceful place in Kotu, where they called home, the compound she bought in 2012 from the Sheriff of the High Court in Banjul for six hundred thousand dalasi (D600, 000).
However, Mrs. Sarge and her family are currently homeless; a situation she said was orchestrated by the Sheriff of the High Court for selling a compound to her that they knew belongs to someone, adding that after five years of ownership the same Sheriff Division evicted her and family from the compound she rightly bought from the Sheriff at a time one Landing Sanneh was the Sheriff of the High Court.
“We are in a terrible situation, we are homeless I can tell you. My mum is currently sleeping with my neighbours but I cannot tell where my sisters and brothers are staying, maybe with friends I can’t tell,” Mrs. Sarge remorselessly told the Voice.
According to her, it was in 2012 that she went to the Sheriff of the High Court upon hearing that a compound is up for sale at Kotu Layout by the said institution which she bought for her family to stay, whilst in Sweden with her kids and husband.
Speaking while sobbing in tears amidst frequent interruptions, Mrs. Sarge continues to narrate her ordeal to this reporter that she bought the said compound, so that her family could have somewhere they can call home and also avoid the hassle and dazzle of renting in Banjul and its suburbs, at the same time she also uses it as a holiday home whenever she and her Swedish husband with kids come for holidays in The Gambia.
“I can’t still believe that we are homeless, I can’t explain this to our kids even though they keep asking me when we shall go to our compound. They don’t like here (Lodge), we are used to spending our holidays in our compound, it’s there they know, they don’t like here,” Madam Sarge discloses, while referring to her children displeasure of the lodge they are currently occupying at Kerr Serign.
Mrs. Sarge recalled that it was on the 8th of November, 2018 while in Sweden when her family contacted her about the dilemma they found themselves in when officials of the Sheriff Division stormed their compound with securities to evict them forcefully, adding that it was only after fervent appeal when the family was allowed to pick some of their valuables.
“It was on the 8th of November, 2018 when my family called to inform me about what they were going through. I immediately flew to Banjul from Sweden to fix the problem to no avail, I then have to go back and come again within two weeks in a bit to solve the problem.
This is too painful because I bought this compound from the Sheriff and now again is the Sheriff that evicts my family and made us homeless,” Mrs. Sarge disclosed.
She told this medium that this latest development has caused unquantifiable damage to her married, narrating that her Swedish husband is worried and suspicious of her for playing a game. She added that because of the trust and confidence she got with the belief that Sheriff Division will not sell a property to her that is under dispute has warranted her to buy a compound from the institution.
“I am really devastated; my husband can’t believe that this can happen in The Gambia. I can notice that he is both worried and suspicious of me because he is seeing the whole thing as a game and honestly this situation is causing a grieve problem in my married”, Madam Sarge told this reporter.
She said upon her coming to the country, she made many attempts to solve this situation to no avail, adding that her family’s situation could better be described as ‘homeless’ at a time some of its members are going to school.
“I made many attempts to amicably solve the issue with the Sheriff to no avail, I visited Landing Sanneh who was the Sheriff at the time but it seems he did not care about our predicament. I also tried to contact a lawyer but still no avail”, this frustrating situation is causing her great pain and sorrow.
Meanwhile, this reporter visited the High Court in Banjul to gauge the views of the Sheriff, who said he could not talk about the issue as it is before the Court. However, in a bit to authenticate his view that the said matter is before the Court, this reporter proceeded to the Registry of Court but records indicate that the case has not been filed by any lawyer.
A statement that collaborates with Madam Sarge’s narration is that she already paid an advance payment of D75, 000 to a certain lawyer who is yet to file the case.
Landing Sanneh, Judicial Secretary and former Sheriff of High Court, who was the Sheriff by the time Madam Sarge bought the compound from the Sheriff Division, referred this reporter back to the Sheriff Sanneh said that he knew nothing about the issue as it was the office that was dealing with clients not him as a person, adding that any further question should be referred to the current Sheriff not him.
When this reporter puts to him whether he is aware of the homelessness status of Madam Sarge and family, and whether it’s true that Madam Sarge bought this compound under his watch, he declined to speak but only refers him to the Sheriff.
Sanneh was not also in position to explain whether it is lawful for one to buy a compound from the Sheriff Division and later be evicted from that legally acquired property and if so whether the person should be compensated.
“Let her go to the court to claim her compound if she owns it, it’s only the court that can settle the matter”, Sanneh reluctantly told this reporter.
Madam Sarge finally calls on The Gambia government and the Chief Justice to intervene in her family’s homelessness status for any possible redress.
Author: Kebba Ansu Manneh