She’s doing ‘a wheelie’ on me, claims alleged car conman

SLY conman, or too trusting a friend? Depending on who you listen to, either one of these descriptions could apply to Fadi Ayoub, a Lebanese national being sought by the Namibian Police on a charge of car theft.

Ayoub is alleged to have presented himself as a customs broker to a Windhoek resident recently, and subsequently fled to South Africa after registering her sports car in his own name. According to his alleged victim, the two met in August while she was desperately trying to get her imported Toyota MR2 cleared at customs.She duly paid the “broker” 50 per cent of his prescribed fee, and he went off with the car keys and enough documentation to get the registration done.Two days later, she claims, she realised that Ayoub had taken her car to South Africa after registering it in his name.But when The Namibian spoke to Ayoub in South Africa this weekend, he had a different story to tell.According to him, he has known the alleged victim for years, and it was as friends that the two met at a Windhoek hotel at the end of August.”She said she was trying to sell her car, but that she couldn’t because it hadn’t been cleared at customs.She said she had tried someone else (to act as a broker), but that this person was just wasting her money.He just messed up the car in the meantime,” Ayoub maintains.He had previously been in the car trade, he said, but he did not want to disclose the name of his former business.”She wanted N$130 000, but then I offered to buy the car for N$100 000,” Ayoub claims.He said the owner accepted the offer, and they agreed that he would foot the bill for the customs duty and repairs to the car.The two parted ways after he gave her N$68 000 in cash and a cheque for N$9 500, Ayoub claims.Asked about the bank details of the alleged cheque, Ayoub said he had torn it up it after the woman started disputing the sale.No agreement or receipt exists to verify his claims.”This I know now was wrong,” Ayoub said on Friday, “but I took it she’s my friend.I’ve known her for a long time.For that I’m guilty.”He said that after he’d registered the car in his name, the woman came to see him at the hotel before he left.She gave him a shirt as a gift and thanked him for taking a weight off her shoulders, he claims.”But I could see her face change when I told her I was selling the car for N$130 000,” Ayoub claimed further.He then returned to South Africa, where a few days later she started phoning him, telling him she wanted the car back, he says.He also disputes that he received a call from a friend of hers in South Africa, who informed him that the police were looking for him.”No, I was only phoned by a man claiming to be from the Scorpions (South African special operations police unit).But when I asked his identity, or where I could reach him, he hung up,” Ayoub insists.”This is just a civil case.If this lady says I stole her car, I’m ready to present myself to any officer.It’s two people fighting over a deal.Why didn’t she make a case earlier?” he contends.”These are all lies that he has just cooked up of late.He has been trying to sell this story since yesterday,” a source close to the alleged victim said.”The shirt issue is the latest lie.””He has told so many stories since he discovered that the police in the region are after him.You should ask him if he has proof of sale or when the sale was transacted.If you call him up again he will come up with a different story,” the source maintained.Ayoub indicated that he planned to return to Namibia within the next 10 days, and that his lawyers would take care of the allegations against him.According to his alleged victim, the two met in August while she was desperately trying to get her imported Toyota MR2 cleared at customs.She duly paid the “broker” 50 per cent of his prescribed fee, and he went off with the car keys and enough documentation to get the registration done.Two days later, she claims, she realised that Ayoub had taken her car to South Africa after registering it in his name.But when The Namibian spoke to Ayoub in South Africa this weekend, he had a different story to tell.According to him, he has known the alleged victim for years, and it was as friends that the two met at a Windhoek hotel at the end of August.”She said she was trying to sell her car, but that she couldn’t because it hadn’t been cleared at customs.She said she had tried someone else (to act as a broker), but that this person was just wasting her money.He just messed up the car in the meantime,” Ayoub maintains.He had previously been in the car trade, he said, but he did not want to disclose the name of his former business.”She wanted N$130 000, but then I offered to buy the car for N$100 000,” Ayoub claims.He said the owner accepted the offer, and they agreed that he would foot the bill for the customs duty and repairs to the car.The two parted ways after he gave her N$68 000 in cash and a cheque for N$9 500, Ayoub claims.Asked about the bank details of the alleged cheque, Ayoub said he had torn it up it after the woman started disputing the sale.No agreement or receipt exists to verify his claims.”This I know now was wrong,” Ayoub said on Friday, “but I took it she’s my friend.I’ve known her for a long time.For that I’m guilty.”He said that after he’d registered the car in his name, the woman came to see him at the hotel before he left.She gave him a shirt as a gift and thanked him for taking a weight off her shoulders, he claims.”But I could see her face change when I told her I was selling the car for N$130 000,” Ayoub claimed further.He then returned to South Africa, where a few days later she started phoning him, telling him she wanted the car back, he says.He also disputes that he received a call from a friend of hers in South Africa, who informed him that the police were looking for him.”No, I was only phoned by a man claiming to be from the Scorpions (South African special operations police unit).But when I asked his identity, or where I could reach him, he hung up,” Ayoub insists.”This is just a civil case.If this lady says I stole her car, I’m ready to present myself to any officer.It’s two people fighting over a deal.Why didn’t she make a case earlier?” he contends.”These are all lies that he has just cooked up of late.He has been trying to sell this story since yesterday,” a source close to the alleged victim said.”The shirt issue is the latest lie.””He has told so many stories since he discovered that the police in the region are after him.You should ask him if he has proof of sale or when the sale was transacted.If you call him up again he will come up with a different story,” the source maintained.Ayoub indicated that he planned to return to Namibia within the next 10 days, and that his lawyers would take care of the allegations against him.