Clients of B4U Properties, a real estate company, have filed complaints with the police in Banjul against the CEO and founder, Bakary Darboe.
A group claiming to be victims of B4U has reportedly been going to police headquarters in Banjul to give their statements.
These people claim they entered into a contract with B4U Properties and completed payments before the agreed time. However, after several years, they cannot possess the promised plots of land, and now they want the police to intervene.
Based on our findings, the police had invited CEO Darboe, who said he was in Senegal at the time and was expected to report to police headquarters upon returning.
According to our investigations, the clients reportedly purchased a plot of land from the B4U Properties Tanji Housing Estate. However, the name Tanji is misleading as all these pieces of land are situated in Madiana. CEO Bakary Darboe said this was a mistake and explained: “I thought the land was in Tanji.”
The company B4U has the business name “Bakary Darboe B4U Properties, ” registered on 7 January 2015, and the type of business it is reported to do is a real estate agency.
A report from the Ministry of Justice shows that B4U has yet to file annual returns since registration. Companies must make annual returns of D1000, while some businesses must pay D500 as their yearly returns. However, B4U, since 2015, has failed to make such payments, which means the real estate company needs to be updated in that regard.
The Alkalo or local ownership certificate in CEO Darboe is dated 8 December 2016. What is clear from the contract the customer signed with B4U is that he began the sale of the land before he got the transfer from the original land owners, the Sannoh Kunda Family of Brufut.
It was not normal because, at the time, B4U did not have the transfer certificate from the Sannoh Kunda Family.
B4U got a supposed official transfer from the Brikama Area Council on 11 February 2017.
In one of the contracts he signed with Bubacarr Saho, dated 2 November 2016, B4U got the local transfer on 8 December 2016.
Kaddy Saho, the representative of Babucar Saho, said they completed payment for the 20 x 30 meters plot in 2017 but, up to date, need help getting the land.
Meanwhile, clients who want to start developing their plots would face challenges.
CEO Darboe maintains he has allocated them land and asked them to continue with the development.
As a matter of law, in this country, one needs a permit from the Department of Physical Planning to erect buildings.
Clients say CEO Darboe still needs to provide them with a certificate of occupancy for the Department of Physical Planning to grant them clearance.
Also, some clients who want official transfers from the Brikama Area Council are facing challenges because the regional office is requesting some documents they still need.
Fatou Jarju said she paid D100,000 for a plot measuring 20 x 20 meters and completed the payment but needs help getting hold of her land since her documents are not complete to enable her to get the official transfer. She has paid D5000 to Brikama Area Council and hired taxis for them to visit the plot.
“They asked me to go and get the occupancy certificate, and when I informed Bakary (Darboe) about it, he said let me wait; that he was going to provide me with a copy, but until today he did not provide it,” Jarju said.
The Alkamba Times (TAT) put this complaint to CEO Darboe, whose response was: “Let them go and build on their allocated plots because the land is clean”.
Jarju completed her payment in 2018, and until today she cannot start work on the property since B4U still needs to provide her with the necessary papers to obtain the required official documents to commence work on the land.
Clients accuse CEO Darboe of dodging their calls, and those he picked say he will either speak to them “rudely” or give them “endless promises”.
Kaddy Saho is a representative of Matarr Touray and Bubacar Saho. One of her neighbors introduced her to the B4U business and visited the company’s office in Serrekunda.
According to her – which CEO Darboe confirmed as accurate – the mortgage was for eight years, but once you complete payment on time, you will be allocated the plot of land.
Ms. Saho said his brother, Bubacar Saho, paid D135,000 starting in October 2016 and completed the full payment in July 2017. However, up to now, she cannot possess the land nor receive the required papers.
Ms. Saho visited the Department of Physical Planning to obtain clearance. She was told that CEO Darboe should provide the transfer paper from the Sannoh Kunda Family to B4U and the demarcation plan of B4U of the plot of land.
“My brother has wanted to develop the land since 2017, but he could not”.
She further revealed that she reported CEO Darboe to the Consumer Protection Commission, “but they could not do anything about the case. They asked me to go home; that Bakary is going to pay me”.
After waiting some time and realizing this would not happen, she requested the papers she submitted to the Commission but was told that the reports were “misplaced.” Since the documents were photocopies, she let the matter rest there.
“We are very frustrated about our matter Bakary (Darboe,” she told TAT.
Another client, Sainey Colley, purchased land for his brother living abroad. The time was Ramadan, and B4U was doing a promotion. The plot measured 20 x 30 meters for D150,000. This was in 2018, and for the promotion, B4U lowered the price to D144,000.
“They said we can make payment through a mortgage plan, but we made the full payment at once.”
B4U provided an Alkalo transfer and then asked them to wait because they were not done with the demarcation of the land. B4U asked him to wait till after the rainy season for the demarcation.
“The rainy season passed, and I was still waiting. I called them (B4U) to show me the land, but they asked me to wait as they were not done with the demarcation”.
CEO Darboe, in his response to the allegations, said at B4U they have a payment plan system – for some four years, some five-eight years.
Darboe admitted that these customers had completed total payments before the agreed time.
“Most of them have completed their payments, and we issued them Alkalo transfer.”
CEO Darboe said after issuing them with the local (Alkalo) transfer, he asked them to wait for them to clear the land and do the demarcation.
“We have different options. Some places you buy and start developing now, and some places you buy and have to wait for some years because you are paying by mortgage”.
CEO Darboe said they are buying the land on a mortgage basis from the land owners – the Sannoh Kunda Family of Brufut.
“They (B4U clients) are paying by a mortgage, and we are also paying by the mortgage to the land owners”.
Darboe added: “They (the clients) said let me allocate their plots to them, but I told them to wait for some customers to finish their payment before we allocate them. Right now, the money we received is not enough. So we will not demarcate only a few plots and leave the rest.”
Clients like Kaddy, Fatoumata, and the rest claimed that CEO Darboe was not picking up their calls and, at times, would speak to them anyhow.
“They paid money, yes, but I gave them land. So why should I pick up their calls? I told them I would not pick up their calls again. Why should I? I gave you a plot, I gave you a transfer, and now you want me to do work for you”, Darboe said.
