Senegal: parliament refers former minister to court over embezzlement claims

Senegal's parliament on Friday referred a former minister to a special court for allegedly embezzling millions in taxpayers' cash, in the latest case targeting a member of ex-president Macky Sall's government.

Since unseating Sall in March 2024, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko have repeatedly accused their predecessors of mismanaging the public purse, pledging to bring them to justice.

At least five of Sall's ministers have since been referred to the west African country's High Court of Justice, which is responsible for trying former members of government over crimes committed while in office.

The National Assembly, which is overwhelmingly dominated by Faye and Sonko's ruling Pastef party, voted on Friday to refer former communications and digital affairs minister Moussa Bocar Thiam to the court over a contract for a digital technology park.

According to a parliamentary report, the contract's execution showed "serious indications and presumptions of a nature to justify criminal proceedings against Minister Moussa Bocar Thiam for criminal conspiracy, embezzlement of public funds to the tune of 1,476,482,766 CFA francs ($2.7 million) and money laundering".

The ex-minister replied on social media to denounce the process as "without legal basis", adding that he would fight the matter in court. After a hearing, the High Court of Justice's investigating committee will decide whether to bring Thiam to trial.

The tribunal's rulings cannot be appealed or reviewed.