Oley Dibba-Jagne, the general manager of the Gambia Women's Finance Association (Gawfa), has said that her association will sue women's  groups that fail to pay back their loans on time,  as required by the association.

She made this remark, on Friday, when the Daily Observer sought her opinion on the allegedly missing amount of money involving the Fawe  Mothers Club of Sanchaba Sulay Jobe and a former employee of Gawfa, Sohna Jeng, who was said to have travelled to UK, last year.

According to her, all the defaulters of Gawfa will appear in court before the end of this week.

"We have done enough sensitisation on the issuing of receipts, and other necessities with regards to taking loans. This is the seventh time that the Fawe Mothers Club are taking loans from Gawfa and such a thing has never happened.

We told them that if they give their monies to anyone without being issued a receipt from Gawfa, then it means they are giving out their monies freely because that money might not reach Gawfa," she remarked.

"We have had incidents where people altered Gawfa receipts, not knowing that we have copies of the receipts in the office. Some people are using Sohna Jeng's disappearance to play games but they can't escape Gawfa, the monies were taken on loan and they must be paid back so that other business women can also acquire loans on time," Gawfa's general manager told the Daily Observer.

She confirmed that Sohna Jeng, an ex-employee of Gawfa, left the office unceremoniously and travelled  abroad in March 2007, without submitting any resignation letter.

Mrs Dibba-Jagne also informed the Daily Observer that the Fawe Mothers were given a loan of D100,000 and it was to be paid back within a period of 10 months.
"They have paid some amount and presently, they owe Gawfa D53,853.87, which should have been paid before September 5, and that is why Gawfa is taking them to court this week," she revealed.

On the other hand, the Fawe Mothers Club claimed that they gave D93,559 to Sohna Jeng, as part of their loan repayment within six months. The women's group also alleged that Sohna Jeng collected their monies from their president, Ndey Jobe, and travelled to UK last year, without giving them any receipt.

Ndey Jobe, the president of the women's group said her association paid another D9,825 to Gawfa after Sohna Jeng's disappearance but was quick to say that they got a receipt for that repayment.