On Tuesday, December 6, the Dean of Judges will organise the confrontation between the young lady Adji Sarr and Ousmane Sonko, whom she accused of having raped her several times in the Sweet Beauté massage parlour where she worked. This confrontation should decide the fate of this case that has held the country in suspense for several months.The soap opera that has kept Senegal and the world in suspense for more than a year will have a new episode next week.The Dean of judges will indeed organise the confrontation of OusmaneSonko and AdjiSarr, from next Tuesday, December 6.It will be at 11 a.m. in his offices, at the Justice Palace in Dakar.Almost a month to the day after the hearing of the only defendant OusmaneSonko.It will be recalled that at the end of the hearing of the president of the Pastef party in the offices of the Dean of Judges, observers had indicated that the magistrate had three options, namely to close the case without further action for lack of sufficient evidence to charge or indict the accused directly; to serve him with his indictment pending trial.Or, organise the confrontation with the complainant, who accuses him of rape.This is finally the option that Judge OumarMahamDiallo has chosen, and for this, he has made an appointment to the two protagonists in his office next Tuesday.This will be the last step before a possible trial, because all the other people named in this case have been heard.It may be noted that, during a press briefing during which he reported on his hearing in the office of the Dean of Judges, OusmaneSonko stated that only three questions had been put to him by the magistrate, stressing, moreover, that he had refused to answer.To a question concerning his relations with AdjiSarr, Mr.Sonko had indicated that he had rejected that the magistrates would have taken the liberty of questioning him on this issue by pointing out to them that, if things went as he wished, he would be at the head of the country in less than two years, and therefore did not permit him to be disrespectedwith such sensitive issues.In the same way, since this whole rape affair was in his eyes, only the result of a political conspiracy, he did not authorisethe collection of his blood or saliva for a DNA test.One can therefore ask whether the president of Pastef will continue with the same line of defence before his accuser, especially if the latter persists in her statements.Briskly, the Sweet is in this soap opera!
By Mouhamed GUEYE / mgueye@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH