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Gambia Government Is Selling Saudi Hajj Visas For $3,000 US Dollars!
The Gambian government is selling Saudi Visas that were given to the country for free of charge by the Saudi government to enable Gambian Muslims to attend pilgrimage in Mecca in this coming Hajj season, the Freedom Newspaper can reveal. The Saudi Visas are being sold to Gambians and non Gambians for $3,000 United States Dollars, which is approximately over D95, 000 Gambian dalasi, a knowledgeable source familiar with the deal has told this news medium on Friday. Some rogue personnel of the Gambia International Airline (GIA) and the Jammeh State House have been linked to the alleged scam.
The Saudi government has allocated one thousand three hundred and fifty five visas to the Gambian Muslim Community to facilitate their Hajj to Mecca. Out of the figure mentioned, few born Gambian natives were issued with the Saudi Visa. The remaining Visas were sold to foreigners from neighbouring Senegal, Nigeria, Mali, Mauritania and elsewhere around the African continent, our source has intimated.
Securing a Saudi Visa, according to our source, would avail intending travellers with the opportunity to travel freely around the Arab world without any problem. The Gambian government is commercializing the Visas that were supposed to be issued to its citizens free of charge. Some folks, who are desperate to leave the Gambia, are paying couple of thousands of dollars to buy the Saudi Visa, our source added.
Mr. Saikou Conteh is a Gambian American based in New York City. Mr. Conteh is a Sarahule. Mr. Conteh was among those approached by one Sakully Kabone, a Gambian residing in Spain to help Mr. Kabone market the Saudi Visas for him in the United States. Mr. Conteh refused to be part be of the scam, according to our source.
Mr. Kabone, who came from the Sarahule ethnic group, had wanted Mr. Saikou Conteh to serve as his agent in New York to help sell Saudi Visas and Gambian passports for him to intending travellers to Mecca. It is reported that Mr. Kabone had over 200 Gambian passports at his disposal to sell to intending travellers. Mr. Kabone is overseeing Spain and France. He is allegedly responsible for the sale of Gambian passports and Saudi Visas in the above mentioned countries.
Mr. Saikou Conteh has been residing in the US for the past forty years. He wanted to get to the bottom of the Visa scam. As such, he briefly interacted with Mr. Kabone by trying to have an inside knowledge about the Saudi Visa and Gambian passports being sold to non Gambians.
Conteh was informed that the SG’s office at the State House and the Immigration Department were tasked by Jammeh to oversee the Hajj. He made Mr. Kabone to believe that he was going to find him some Customers from North America to buy the Saudi Visas that were issued to the Gambian government for her citizens to travel to Mecca for Hajj.
Embarking on an undercover world sting operation, this Editor contacted Mr. Sakully Kabone, who is visiting the Gambia at this hour from Spain and posed as a customer of Saikou Conteh of New York. The entire conversation we had with Mr. Kabone was done in the local dialect Mandingka language. The conversation was also recorded.
We began by telling Mr. Kabone that we are a customer of Mr. Conteh, and we had over 35 clients that wanted to buy the Saudi Visa from the Gambia. Mr. Conteh in response said: “Do you have money with you? These Saudi Visas are being sold for $3,000 US dollars. Today is the last day for the sale of the Visas. If you are willing to pay $3,000 dollars you should be able get the visas. The GIA is responsible for the sale of the Saudi Visas. Kebba (the big man ) has tasked the GIA to oversee the Hajj. I have 93 passports that I am supposed to find visa for their owners. There is a big commotion here. People are struggling to get the Saudi Visa. So far, I have been able to buy 35 Visas. I bought each Visa for $3,000 dollars,” he told this undercover Freedom Newspaper investigator.
Mr. Kabone has denied that the SG and the Presidential Affairs Minister, or the State House is part of the Saudi Visa sale. He maintained that some GIA personnel are the ones selling the Visas for $3,000 dollars.
“It is false for anyone to suggest that the SG or the State House is responsible for the sale of the Visas. I have been to the GIA myself and I was able to buy 35 visas. You get my number from Mr. Conteh.... right? By the way, where are you calling from? If you are not in the Gambia, I don’t think you would be able to get the visas. You have to be on the ground to be able to get the visas. Today is the last day for the sale of the Saudi Visas,” Mr. Kabone said.
This Editor told Kabone that he got his cell number from a GIA insider. He also asked Kabone to tell him his Visa contacts at the GIA so that he can phone them to discuss the possibility of buying Saudi Visas from them. Mr. Kabone gave us the name of one Lamin Cham as a possible contact person. He however said that Cham might not be very familiar with the deal. He said once we go to the GIA, we should be able to find the right person to speak to us about Saudi Visa related issues.
Mr. Kabone was on the wheel driving when we phoned him. He told us that he lives in Spain and that none of the passports he had in his possession are non Gambians. He said all the folks he is trying to help secure the Saudi Visa are Gambian nationals. He also said occasionally people secure passports from the Gambia Immigration Department, but has stressed that it is not safe to secure passports from the Immigration without seeking clearance from the GIA. Kabone told the Freedom Newspaper undercover investigator that buying, or borrowing a passport from the Immigration Department does not qualify one to be able to secure a Saudi Visa. He said all intending travellers must establish contacts with the GIA before a Saudi Visa would be sold to a particular individual.
Mr. Kabone's contact person at the Immigration Department is one officer with the last name Ngum. He told this Editor that Mr. Ngum should be able to help him with a passport if he approaches him.
GIA officials could not be reached for immediate comment during the weekend. The SG was also indisposed for comment at the time of going to press.
Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 (Archive on Saturday, November 30, 2013)
Posted by PNMBAI Contributed by PNMBAI
