Mbour High Court: He believed his conman lived in Spain, when in fact he was living under the same roof as him.

Mouhamed Coulibaly thought he was communicating with a man living in Spain. But Gaoussou Cissé, to whom he had entrusted 500,000 FCFA to facilitate his trip to Europe, was, according to his statements, living under the same roof as him in Senegal.

This is the surprising case brought before the High Court (TGI) of Mbour, in the summary proceedings. Gaoussou Cissé and Samba Doumbouya are being prosecuted for alleged fraud involving more than 500,000 FCFA against Mouhamed Coulibaly.

Initially, Mouhamed Coulibaly contacted Gaoussou Cissé to ask his whereabouts. Cissé reportedly replied that he was living in Spain. The complainant then allegedly expressed his desire to move to Spain, believing that his business was no longer thriving in Mali.

Gaoussou Cissé allegedly assured him that he could put him in touch with someone in Senegal who could help him organize his trip. Mouhamed Coulibaly then reportedly sent him 500,000 FCFA before going to Senegal himself.

On site, he claims to have given various sums of money to Gaoussou Cissé's alleged accomplice, notably to provide for his food.

The situation took a particularly unusual turn when Mouhamed Coulibaly discovered that Gaoussou Cissé was not in Spain, as he believed, but that he was living in the same house as him.

For nearly two months, the two men allegedly shared the same accommodation without the complainant knowing that the man with whom he was communicating was just a few meters away from him.

According to Mouhamed Coulibaly, Gaoussou Cissé would leave the house very early in the morning, around 5 a.m. In the evening, when he was due to return, the other young people living in the house would find ways to distract the complainant, notably by taking him to the shop, thus allowing Gaoussou to return to his room unseen.

The plaintiffs argue that Samba Doumbouya participated in this staging.

Later, Mouhamed Coulibaly reportedly informed Gaoussou Cissé that he planned to go to Saly to look for work, before continuing his search in Dakar.

It was through an exchange of messages that the truth finally came to light. After sending a message to Gaoussou Cissé, Mouhamed Coulibaly reportedly learned from the person who had the phone that Cissé was not in Spain, but living with him in the same house.

He then contacted the Saly Research Section, which ultimately arrested Gaoussou Cissé.

At the hearing, the two defendants initially claimed not to speak French, forcing the court to use a translator.

But during the proceedings, they finally spoke in French. The plaintiffs then pointed out to the judge that the defendants did indeed understand the French language.

The prosecutor requested the application of the law. For its part, the plaintiff is claiming one million FCFA in damages.

Gaoussou Cissé and Samba Doumbouya will learn their fate on September 8th.