A Lebanese man has strongly denied claims that he fathered a child with a 28-year-old Gambian woman, who works at a forex bureau in the Senegambia Strip.
The woman’s family alleged that he abandoned her after impregnating her. Speaking to What’s On-Gambia, her father insisted the Lebanese national is “one hundred percent the father,” claiming the child bears a striking resemblance to him.
When contacted, the Lebanese man admitted having a brief sexual relationship with the woman, saying they were intimate on three occasions. However, he insisted he always used protection and even provided her with emergency pills.
“I think this is all a scam to extort money from me,” he said. “After eight months of not seeing her, she suddenly texted me saying she has a child and that I’m the father. I asked why she didn’t inform me during the pregnancy.”
He further alleged that the woman was involved in another relationship with a white man during the same period, and claimed to possess a photograph of the two in bed together.
Asked why he had not requested a paternity test to settle the matter, he replied: “Since it’s the woman accusing me, she should request the DNA test, not me. If they want to do it, they should pay for it. I am not the accuser here.”
The case has reportedly been referred to the Department of Social Welfare, where officials are expected to review the matter and determine the next steps.