Senegal to summon ex-president Macky Sall over financial irregularities
Sall, is accused of presiding over "catastrophic" mismanagement of the public purse, with the audit revealing a budget deficit for 2023 of 12.3 per cent, more than double the 4.9 per cent previously reported during his administration.
Senegal is set to summon former president Macky Sall to court following revelations of significant irregularities in the country’s financial report during his time in office.
Macky Sall served as the fourth president of Senegal from 2012 to 2024.
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According to the RFI, a media company, a report published by the nation's audit office on February 12, 2025, has cast doubt on the accuracy of official figures, particularly regarding the public debt and deficit.
Sall, is accused of presiding over "catastrophic" mismanagement of the public purse, with the audit revealing a budget deficit for 2023 of 12.3 per cent, more than double the 4.9 per cent previously reported during his administration.
Government spokesman Moustapha Sarre had stated on Friday, February 28, that Sall could be charged with criminal acts and described him as potentially the leader of a group that committed serious offences during his tenure.
"Inevitably he will face justice. He is the person chiefly responsible for the extremely serious acts that were committed," Sarre said
Sall, who has been living in Morocco since leaving office, has denied the allegations, calling the controversy surrounding the audit report a political issue. He insists that the accusations are baseless and part of a wider political agenda.
Senegal’s current President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was elected in March 2024, has vowed to break from the Sall era, with Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, a long-time critic of Sall, pledging an investigation into what he describes as "widespread corruption" under the former president.
Several individuals close to Sall, including an MP, have already been arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering.
If charges are brought against Sall, it will mark the first time a former Senegalese head of state has been tried in court since the country gained independence from France in 1960.
There are speculations that Sall and his government members could face charges of "high treason" before Senegal's High Court of Justice.
His era of political violence
In a related matter, the amnesty law introduced by Sall just before the March 2024 election, granting immunity to those involved in political violence, has come under scrutiny.
The law favoured Sall and his government, just before the March 2024 elections, which saw him being replaced by Sonko’s protege Faye.
In late December 2024, Sonko's government announced plans to repeal the law, which critics argue obstructs justice for the victims of political violence that occurred during Sall's final years in office.
The period leading up to Sall's departure from office was also marked by unprecedented political unrest and violence.
The RFI reports that between March 2021 and February 2024, protests against Sall led to the deaths of 65 people, according to a tally compiled by CartograFreeSenegal in partnership with Amnesty International.
The victims were predominantly young people, with many killed by gunfire.
Amnesty International has called for an investigation into security forces allegedly responsible for excessive force during the protests, citing the amnesty law as a barrier to justice.
“Justice, truth, and reparation require that security forces allegedly responsible for excessive and illegal use of force during protests be prosecuted,” Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International's interim regional director for West and Central Africa said.
The government’s comments have sparked outrage within Sall's camp.
Abdou Mbow, deputy spokesperson for Sall's political party, the APR, condemned the remarks made by government officials, describing them as "unacceptable" and "populist."
"We cannot understand or accept that a government spokesperson would call a former head of state a gang leader," Mbow said. "This is an attempt to manipulate the population."
The situation remains tense as Senegal navigates its political and legal challenges following Sall's departure from office.
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