Senegal: Ex-president treason accusations blocked by parliament

Senegal’s National Assembly has blocked a proposal accusing former president, Macky Sall, of “high treason” following an alleged mishandling of finances, Africanews via Agencies reports on October 28th.

Sall, who led the country between 2012 and 2024, has been under investigation for his “catastrophic” mismanagement of public funds since March this year after an independent report was carried out and contradicted many of the financial figures released under his term as president.

These suspicions became heightened in May, when Sall’s brother-in-law was indicted for embezzling over $4.6m in public funds. Other figures related to Sall, such as the former development minister, Moustapha Diop, and ex-mines minister, Aissatou Sophie Gladima, also received similar accusations earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the election of Senegal’s new president, Bassioru Dioimaye Faye, saw the country move in a direction focused on improving job prospects for the youth, loosening ties with European powers and stamping out corruption across the country, with Faye’s PASTEF party targeting Sall’s mishandling of the country’s finances.

PASTEF Party MP, Guy Marius Sagna, submitted a parliamentary motion accusing Sall of “high treason” following hiding an estimated $7b in debt and contracting loans which existed outside legal budget procedures.

Despite these developments, the Senegalese parliament reportedly declared the motion inadmissible due to a procedural flaw. This means the case could not proceed to the special court empowered to try former heads of state, the Haute Cour de Justice. As a result of this procedural dismissal, Sall has received a temporary reprieve from prosecution.

Nonetheless, legal and political pressure continues to mount on Sall despite his reprieve. With the ongoing crackdown on corruption among former ministers who served under him, it is possible that another admissible motion or separate charges could be brought against the former Senegalese president.

Africanews via Agencies, Maghrebi.org, SeneNews