After civil servants and suppliers, the second wave of prosecutions under the Covid-19 Force is looming, with the National Assembly indicting five ministers to be tried before the High Court of Justice. This is one of the explosive legacies of the Sall regime.

The masks are falling with the strategies devised by the Public Prosecutor’s Office to trace allegedly embezzled Covid-19 funds. With the indictment of former ministers of the Sall regime, the second wave of arrests is looming, after that of civil servants and suppliers. And the peak is coming very quickly. Yesterday, the Conference of Presidents and the Bureau of the National Assembly met, with the agenda being the indictment of former ministers before the High Court of Justice and the letter from the Minister of Justice regarding a request to lift the parliamentary immunity of MPs Ndèye Saly Diop Dieng and Moustapha Diop.

Rejection of the Amadou Bâ law: One Decision One Hundred Interpretations

In accordance with Article 52 of the Rules of Procedure, a clear work schedule has been established to exhaust the agenda: the ad hoc Committee responsible for examining the files is convened on Friday, April 25, 2025 at 10 a.m., then a plenary session for ratification of the members of the committee is scheduled for Monday, April 28, 2025 at 10 a.m. Finally, a plenary session to lift the parliamentary immunity of MPs Moustapha Diop and Ndèye Saly Diop Dieng is scheduled for Friday, May 2, 2025 at 10 a.m.

In the process, a meeting of the Law Commission is also scheduled for the same day for the indictment, before the High Court of Justice, of former ministers under Macky. A final plenary session for examination and decision is scheduled for Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 10 a.m. to send, before the High Court of Justice, Moustapha Diop (Minister of Industry), Mansour Faye (Minister of Community Development), Aïssatou Sophie Gladima Siby (Minister of Mines and Geology), Ismaïla Madior Fall (Minister of Justice), Ndèye Saly Diop Dieng (Minister of Family), targeted by the indictment procedure.

Thierno Alassane Sall on Pastef: «They are incapable, talkative and wicked»

What can we say? This list is highly anticipated, especially since the various Directors of General Administration and Equipment (DAGE) of some of the ministers mentioned, with the exception of IMF, have been charged by an investigating judge in connection with the Covid-19 Force. Ms. Ndèye Amy Loum, former DAGE of the Ministry of Industrial Development, was placed in custody for alleged embezzlement of public funds. As were Mouhamadou Bamba Amar, a driver at the Ministry of Industrial Development and SMEs, and the stock accountant Omar Ngalla Faye, who was placed under electronic monitoring in connection with the same embezzlement of public funds case involving 930 million CFA francs.

Former Dage of the Ministry of Family, Djiby Diakhaté, deposited 62 million CFA francs and a property title appraised at 26 million CFA francs. This is a joint and several guarantee, which allowed his colleagues Ndongo Mbaye and Mamadou Guèye Dramé to regain their freedom, after they were charged with alleged embezzlement of 88 million CFA francs, forgery and use of forgery. Between various returns from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Aliou Sow, former Dage of the Ministry of Community Development, will again appear before an investigating magistrate today to complete a 125 million CFA franc bail, before regaining their freedom, like businessmen Moustapha Ndiaye and Rayan Hachem, who deposited respectively 700 million and 1.8 billion CFA francs to benefit from provisional release.

Accountability: Justice in the Time of Men

It should be noted that the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has referred the matter to the Minister of Justice for these indictments, is targeting the alleged offenses of embezzlement of public funds, fraud involving public funds. The Dakar Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has inherited this case, is currently examining eight reports concerning the Ministry of Mines and Geology, the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Women, Family and Child Protection, the Ministry of Industrial Development and SMEs, and the Ministry of Community Development.

Of the 1,000 billion of Covid-19 funds in question, 628 billion CFA francs were drawn from the public treasury, while 372 billion were tax waiver measures aimed at enabling national private companies to bear the shock of the loss of their economic activities and not to shut down during the Covid-19 period.

The Covid-19 Force was intended to enable the implementation of the Economic and Social Resilience Programme (Pres) in its 4 axes, namely support for the health sector, strengthening the resilience of the population and social cohesion, safeguarding macroeconomic and financial stability, as well as securing the supply and distribution of food, medicines and energy.

By Bocar SAKHO / bsakho@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH