A susu arrangement has landed in an American courtroom after a member who allegedly received the group's money refused to pay what was due to the other participants.

In a video circulating on TikTok, an elderly Liberian woman is seen explaining the susu arrangement to a judge as the court seeks to understand how the savings system works.

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According to her explanation, susu involves a group of people who put money together every week.

“Every week, everybody gets their money back,” she explains, describing how the contributions are given to members on a rotational basis.

She further explains that the arrangement is usually done among people who trust one another because the system depends on members honouring their commitments.

“You do it with people you trust. There are people that cannot save,” she tells the court.

Her explanation gives an insight into why susu remains popular among some communities.

Rather than keeping money individually, members agree to contribute a fixed amount regularly and allow each person to receive the pooled money when their turn comes.

For someone who struggles to save money independently, the arrangement can provide a form of financial discipline while giving each member access to a larger amount of money when their turn arrives.

However, the arrangement can also create serious disputes when a member fails to honour their obligation.

According to the account accompanying the viral video, the reported dispute arose after one member allegedly had the susu funds handed to her but subsequently refused to pay the other members.

The matter ended up before a court in the United States, where the elderly woman was called upon to explain what susu is and how the arrangement operates.

The identities of the parties involved, the amount reportedly in dispute and the outcome of the court proceedings were not immediately clear from the viral video.

See the video below:

@akosuaserwaabarichie Ghana Susu to the wiase #susubox #ghanatiktok🇬🇭 #blowthisup ♬ original sound - Akosua Serwaa Fosuh ba Richie