Millions of dalasi are suspected to be currently lying in the crypto currency vaults of Austrians Manuel Stofleth Mitterer and his partner Angelika Mitterer, but efforts by the Gambian police to have more enlightenment about the stashed millions could not still bear fruit.
The Austrians’ have been going in and out of the courts and the HQ of the Gambian police in the capital, Banjul in the past year in regard to criminal investigation against them and the civil suit they filed against their business partners Ebrima Solomon Tamba and Marcel Limbertus Van Andel. Their case crashed at the Kanifing High Court last November.
Gambian national Ebrima Solomon Tamba and Dutch Marcel Lambertus Teunis van Andel could not still tell how much money they have made from the sale of their holiday apartments, despite assurances from business partner Manuel that millions of dalasi have been made from their investments.
Tamba, Andel and Mitterer entered a partnership a few years ago to build the Edge and Bitcoin Tower holiday apartment buildings. Tamba and Andel provided the land while Mitterer took the responsibility of the architectural work and selling the apartments. And he did. Problem is: Mitterer wasn’t able to account for the proceeds of the apartment sales whenever his partners demanded. He told the police investigators that the money was stashed in his cryptocurrency account but refused to allow the investigators access to the details. This is the kind of cul de sac and also the seeming dead ends that investigators sometimes hit. The police nonetheless charged Mitterer and his partner Angelika with disobedience to lawful order. It’s our hope that justice will be done in the matter expeditiously. This will serve the very purpose of the law and will encourage the police to do more and better.
Why is it still impossible for Manuel to make available to his partners the contracts of sales of apartments at the Bitcoin Tower, despite a request from the Sheriff Division, which was overseeing the construction? Why is he still hiding funds from his partners? It’s sadly alleged that there are people in the corridors of power that received money from Manuel on the promise to sweep the case under the carpet. Watch out this space in the coming days for more revelations.
Sadly, The Gambia is increasingly becoming a sanctuary for criminals, ranging from human traffickers to narco-criminals and money launderers to international scammers. This is not a desirable situation, hence the Gambia Police Force (GPF) deserves commendation for its efforts in trying to get to the bottom of this cryptocurrency issue. It’s only through vigilance and the rigid enforcement of the law that we can effectively counter money-laundering, terrorism financing, tax evasion and other trans-boundary crimes in our country.
But the question remains: Will the Gambian police succeed in unlocking Austrians’ crypto vaults?
