Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – A Gambian businesswoman has been placed in police custody in Senegal following allegations of large-scale fraud involving hundreds of millions of CFA francs, according to a report by the Senegalese independent daily, L’Observateur.
The suspect, identified as A. S. Trera, was handed over directly to police at the Guédiawaye station by the complainant, a wealthy Senegalese wholesaler, M. Ndiaye, who subsequently filed a formal complaint against her.
The case stems from a business relationship established in 2023 in Touba, where Ndiaye supplied powdered milk to Trera for resale in The Gambia.
Over time, the businesswoman reportedly began accumulating significant payment delays, eventually owing an estimated 200 million CFA francs.
Despite the mounting debt, Trera allegedly convinced Ndiaye in February 2026 to entrust her with a consignment of rice valued at 330 million CFA francs, promising to sell the goods and remit his share. However, no payment was made.
Concerned, Ndiaye reportedly traveled to Banjul, where he discovered that the rice had already been sold and the proceeds used by Trera to import her own containers from Europe.
The situation further escalated weeks later when Trera allegedly approached Ndiaye again, claiming she had a large stock of rice in The Gambia but lacked 39 million CFA francs to clear it through customs.
To reassure him, she proposed that the funds be handed to her brother, A. Trera, based in Sacré-Cœur, who would travel to The Gambia to complete the clearance process.
According to the complaint, this arrangement also failed to yield results, with no repayment made.
The complainant estimates his total financial loss at approximately 673.8 million CFA francs.
On the orders of the prosecutor for Pikine/Guédiawaye, Trera has been placed in custody, despite reportedly pledging to repay part or all of the debt within weeks. Investigations into the matter are ongoing.
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