New details have emerged on the case of the arrested two Access Bank managers: Sarjo Corr and Momodou Juldeh Jallow, sources close to the bank have intimated. Corr and Jallow have been talking to the investigators in Banjul. They have been explaining how they stole D21.4million dalasis from the bank and sneaked out of the country unnoticed.
Access Bank officials were present when the duos were brought to the Banjul police on Wednesday. The Bank’s General manager accompanied by his Operations manager, and three other management members were stunned by the confessions coming from the suspects.
The bank theft started some months ago. Corr’s Assistant Momodou Juldeh Jallow, was alleged to have stolen D10 million dalasis from the bank’s safe. Corr said it took some time before he would discover the stolen money. He never reported the stolen money to his superiors in Banjul.
When he confronted Mr. Jallow, he said Jallow came up with a flimsy story by claiming him that he was working with a marabout “money doubler.” He said Jallow told him that he was deceived by the money doubler.
Jallow never provided any information about the marabout’s phone number and physical address to the investigators.
Bank officials were apprehensive about Jallow’s story. They believed that he was out to lie to the investigators.
On the weekend of the bank theft, Momodou Juldeh Jallow, reported to work, even though, Saturday was a public holiday. He met the G4 security guard one Modou Ngum, who was on duty and gave him D50 dalasis and asked him to buy breakfast for him.
While Ngum was away from the bank, Jallow decided to turn off the bank’s CCTV camera. He also removed the CCTV recording disk. He then reportedly took $120,000 dollars from the bank’s safe. He also took $1 million CFA FRANC from the safe.
When guard Ngum brought his breakfast, he ate, and later told Ngum that he was going to take his car to the mechanic.
His colleague Sarjo Corr later came to the bank, shortly after Juldeh Jallow’s departure. He took $120,000 from the safe. He also took 1 million CFA FRANC from the safe.
The duos’ left Barra on Sunday for Senegal. They chattered motorbike riders, who trafficked people through the back way to the other side of the Gambia/Senegal border.
While they were on route, both Corr and Jallow decided to have a stop and walked into a farmland, Sarjo Corr said he concealed the money that he had stolen from the bank into his underwear (boxer). Juldeh Jallow said he kept the money he stole on his waist.
They proceeded with their journey. Jallow later claimed that the $125,000 and 1million CFA FRANC he kept on his waist had dropped. He claimed that he lost the money.
While avoiding having encounter with law enforcement, Jallow said, he was told by Corr not to worry much, that they should continue with their journey and he (Corr) wouldn’t mind to share the money he had in his possession with Jallow.
Corr and Jallow later made it to Kerr Ayeb, a border village on the other side of Senegal. Kerr Ayeb is not far from Farafenni. They then boarded a public transportation and proceeded to Dakar, Senegal.
When Corr and Jallow arrived in Senegal on Sunday, they booked a single room at a Dakar guesthouse. The duos shared the same bed.
The duos had earlier paid some Senegalese visa dealers to help secure them Senegalese passports and United States visa. One of their former colleagues from the Brusubi Access Bank branch had traveled to the United States last year from a similar visa fraud scheme. He fled with D7 million dalasis from the bank. He is currently living in the United States with a Senegalese passport. He entered the US with a Senegalese passport.
The Gambian police dispatched its personnel to Dakar in the late hours of Sunday to track down the two fleeing bank managers. Banjul had already contacted their sister colleagues in Dakar, Senegal, about their mission to search and apprehend Sarjo Corr and Momodou Juldeh Jallow.
The Gambian security agents partnered with their Senegalese colleagues to search hotels, motels, and guest houses in the Dakar metropolitan area. Hotel guest records were closely examined.
Unluckily, Sarjo Corr and Momodu Juldeh Jallow were found watching football march in their room. The security officers then arrested them.
The duos were briefly interrogated and later escorted to Banjul.
Momodou Juldeh Jallow told the police in the presence of his managers that he dumped the bank’s CCTV disk, his car key and house key into the Kerrewan river.
Jallow’s car was found at his Essau home. It was recovered by the police and parked at the Barra police station. No one was found at Jallow’s home when the police visited the property.
Jallow told the police that he was living alone in that property. He also said he doesn’t have a family at his house.
His co-accused person Sarjo Corr had two wives. His two wives live in Barra.
Access Bank managers said they have invested heavily towards the education of Corr and Jallow. They were both sponsored by the bank to study at the University of The Gambia.
Both Sarjo Corr and Momodu Juldeh Jallow hailed from that Nuimi locality. Corr is from Njogon, while his colleague Jallow is from Essau.
The bank officials felt that Corr and Jallow weren’t grateful to their employer.
Access bank Barra branch was scheduled to be audited this past Monday. Corr and Jallow knew that there was massive cash shortage and irregularities at the bank. They have been allegedly stealing from the bank. And in a bid to coverup their theft, they decided to secretly leave the country.
Corr and Jallow were greeted by a curious crowd when they arrived in Barra while being escorted by Gambia’s security agents. They were in handcuff.
Corr and Jallow are currently detained at the Banjul police. They are supposed to face the investigators today. They are yet to be charged.
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