Who Is Trying to Ruin the Reputation of Comium, Monty Mobile, and Mountasser Hachem?

When it comes to The Gambia’s mobile telecommunications market, the reputation of Comium, Monty Mobile, and their founder and chairman Mountasser Hachem are under siege.

When Comium was on the brink of collapse, Monty Mobile, led by the visionary Mr. Mountasser Hachem, stepped in to save the company and transform it into an impressive success. Their intervention was driven by a commitment to the Gambian staff, who faced the awful prospect of job loss and economic hardship. Recognizing the duopoly held by the local telecom giants who offered very expensive internet services, Monty Mobile pledged to provide accessible and affordable options, opening up new opportunities for all Gambians. This bold move to challenge the status quo has upset competitors, especially the dominant operator, setting the stage for a fierce battle in the local telecom industry.

After Monty Mobile acquired Comium in 2021, they dealt with a lot of hardships as competitors tried to close the operator. Once the situation was solved, they swiftly upgraded Comium’s network from 2G to 4G+, offering superior services at much lower prices than competitors, by January 2024 the network was launched. This move, aimed at providing Gambians with the quality and affordability they deserved, was met with hostility. Attacks on the mobile operator intensified through an online entity named “wearegambians.” This website published numerous defamatory articles, falsely accusing Mountasser Hachem of “ripping off Gambians to benefit suspicious groups” and claiming that Monty Mobile UK is a fake company and that it deceives its clients. They further alleged that Hachem is involved in corruption, fabricating stories about Comium’s history and falsely asserting they had documents proving “corrupt activities of Comium and Mountasser Hachem.”

A court ruling successfully unmasked the “wearegambians” domain, tracing its purchase to a credit card issued by Lloyds Bank. Astonishingly, the cardholder was identified as Messeh Leone, a Sierra Leonean, who had been hired to publish the defamatory content. Messeh Leone, who resides and has a company based in the UK with no connection to Comium, Monty Mobile, or Mountasser Hachem, and doesn’t live in The Gambia raises a significant question: Why would someone with no ties to these entities engage in such targeted attacks? The answer points to a deeper web of hired defamation and the lengths to which competitors will go to protect their monopolistic interests, revealing a darker side of the telecom industry’s battle for dominance in The Gambia.

The website was created with no address or means to track it. It’s as if they didn’t realize that with today’s technology and the right court orders, anyone with a legitimate cause can trace any website and uncover who’s behind it. Whether it’s a fake Instagram, X, Facebook, or other accounts, the law can help identify the culprits. Messeh Leone is just one example. Despite his claim that his card was stolen, it was used online for six months without being reported. Additionally, when someone subscribes to a website domain, they receive an OTP (One-Time Password) to verify their account, along with a verification SMS to confirm the domain. This raises an important question: if Messeh Leone’s credit card was indeed stolen, how did the supposed thief also gain access to the OTP? This inconsistency casts further doubt on his claims. However, Monty Mobile demanded the website be shut down and it was, and the court did not believe his story. This serves as proof that anyone who tries to hide behind fake accounts will be traced and brought to justice.

And thus, in a landmark ruling, the High Court of Justice in London responded to the joint claim brought by Mr. Mountasser Muad Hachem and Monty Mobile Ltd. against Mr. Messeh Leone and Messeh Leone Ltd. for the defamatory articles and false statements published on “wearegambians.com.” On July 9, 2024, the court issued an order mandating the defendants to pay a total of £70,000 in damages and an additional £30,000 to cover legal costs. Moreover, the court imposed an injunction to prevent the defendants from publishing any further defamatory content about the claimants.

Messeh Leone’s reputation is damaged beyond repair. He will never be a trusted journalist again, and this wrongdoing will haunt him for the rest of his career. The court’s ruling has exposed his involvement in spreading false and defamatory content, tarnishing his credibility and integrity. No reputable organization will want to associate with someone who has been found guilty of such unethical behavior. This incident will follow him wherever he goes, making it difficult for him to rebuild his career or regain the trust of the public and his peers.

After reaching out to Mr. Hachem’s lawyer, Elie Abou Assali, he revealed that a network has been working hard to ruin the reputation of Comium, Monty Mobile, and Mountasser Hachem. A woman with the initials N.B. who lives in The USA, has also tried to tarnish their reputations by publishing false information, similar to what was written in the articles on “wearegambians.” A lawsuit has already been filed against her in the state of Virginia as we believe she is affiliated with the rest of the cyber gang..

Mr. Abou Assali mentioned that he personally tried to reach out to Messeh, intending to warn him about how harmful this could be to his career and reputation. He explained that the repercussions of his actions could end his career and asked Messeh to disclose who pushed him to write these articles, given that he has no connection to Comium, Monty Mobile, or Mountasser Hachem. However, Messeh refused to cooperate. Mr. Abou Assali stated that if Messeh chooses to cooperate, Mr. Hachem will pledge to turn the situation in his favor, acknowledging that he was hired to write the articles and, like anyone, is trying to make a living. If Messeh continues to refuse cooperation, they will be forced to file lawsuits against him in more countries, including Sierra Leone. Monty Mobile UK is also prepared to sue him in London, exercising our lawful rights. Mr. Abou Assali stressed on the issue, stating that he is delivering a message from InsideTelecom, urging Messeh Leone to respond if he is innocent so that we can assist him. “We genuinely wish to help him as we seek to uncover those manipulating him. I am even willing to travel to the UK to extend our support.” Comium and Mr. Hachem are determined to pursue legal action in Sierra Leone in case he refuses to cooperate. Why would he jeopardize his reputation for these perpetrators while we are ready to assist him to the fullest extent to demonstrate our goodwill?

Moreover, a Lebanese journalist also published a similar article in France. When we reached out to him and applied pressure through a lawsuit, he shockingly admitted that he was hired to write it by the lawyer of the owner of the leading telecom company in The Gambia. This revelation has given us a critical lead on the mastermind behind this entire network. We are now actively pursuing legal action against this journalist in France, the UK, and The Gambia.

It is worth mentioning here that the data prices in The Gambia are much higher compared to neighboring countries, although the ARPU in the country is lower. Comium, however, decided to lower their prices significantly. This forced other operators to lower their prices as well, but they couldn’t match Comium’s rates. This led to frustration among the competitors, prompting one of the operators to launch an attack on Comium, Monty Mobile, and Mountasser Hachem. They are not mentioning names at this point because they do not defame people without basis, but through the legal actions they are planning to take, they will reveal all involved parties, as the law allows them to.

The people behind this network have no interest in what’s best for the Gambians. They are content to monopolize the telecom industry, imposing exorbitant fees on data while pocketing huge profits. Their primary concern is preserving their financial gains, even if it means keeping essential services out of reach for ordinary Gambians. They are threatened by Comium’s efforts to lower prices and make services more affordable, as it undermines their control and profits. Their actions are driven by greed, not by any genuine concern for the welfare of the Gambian people. In their eyes, the success of Comium’s affordable services is a direct challenge to their lucrative business, and they will go to great lengths to stop it, regardless of the impact on the community they are supposed to serve.

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