Senegal indicts fifth former minister amid intensifying anti-corruption campaign

Senegal’s anti-corruption special court on Monday indicted Amadou Mansour Faye, a former minister of community development and brother-in-law of ex-president Macky Sall, on charges of embezzling more than $4.6 million in public funds.

Faye is now the fifth official from the previous administration to be charged by the High Court of Justice, a special judicial body tasked with trying former government officials for crimes committed in office. The court denied him bail and ordered his detention, according to his lawyer, Amadou Sall.

This latest indictment is part of a broader crackdown on alleged corruption under the administration of newly elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who campaigned on promises of transparency and accountability.

Just last week, the same court detained two other former ministers: Moustapha Diop, who served as industrial development minister, is accused of embezzling around $4 million from Senegal’s Covid-19 relief fund, while former mines minister Aissatou Sophie Gladima faces charges of misappropriating $330,000 from a fund meant for miners impacted by the pandemic.

The charges stem from a parliamentary inquiry that revealed widespread misuse of state funds under the previous government. The detentions underscore the new government's commitment to rooting out corruption at the highest levels, even as critics raise concerns about political motivations.

President Faye’s administration has so far remained firm in its stance, stating that no one is above the law and that public resources must be safeguarded in the interest of national development