Senegal: Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall Sentenced to Five Years in Prison
In Senegal, the verdict finally fell in the trial of the mayor of the city after a year of proceedings. Khalifa Sall is sentenced to five years in prison.
Five years in prison for Khalifa Sall. The parquet had taken seven years. And hardly the sentence announced by the judge Malick Lamotte, the supporters of the mayor of Dakar rose, shouted, cried. Cohue, demonstration, the room was evacuated immediately. The judge did not have time to finish the reading of the deliberation.
Five years in prison and five million francs CFA fine also for Khalifa Sall, sentenced precisely for “swindle on public money”. The mayor of Dakar was released for “misappropriation of public funds”. We have read the disappointment, of course, of Khalifa Sall’s lawyers.
“I hurt first as a member of Parliament, I feel bad as a judicial actor. For me, today, justice should have only cancelled the procedure.” Madicke Niang, opponent and leader of the Senegalese Democratic Party
Maître François Sar, who also claims that this judicial fight is not over: “Of course, it is a disappointment because that is the reality. In short, I would say that the whole decision is based on the negation of the political nature of the funds that have been managed. We will indicate to you the continuation that the defence lawyers will give to this file. But obviously the fight will continue.
Abatement in the camp Khalifa Sall, satisfaction on the contrary of the side of the State, civil part in this file. The State, however, has lost its claim for damages.
“The right was stated in accordance with the charges and penalties that were provided for. We can not condone a theory that aims to accredit political immunity, which is not acceptable in our democracy.” Seydou Guèye, Secretary General of the Government and spokesperson.
But for master Baboucar Cissé, the convictions of the administrative and financial director of the town hall and Khalifa Sall are a victory: “We are more than satisfied. Mr. Mbaye Touré, Chief Financial Officer, and Mr. Khalifa Sall were retained in the links of the prevention and they were declared guilty, and sentenced each to five years of firm prison for swindle bearing on public funds again”.
Demonstrations and crowd movements occurred in the Dakar court. Khalifa Sall’s supporters confronted security forces by shouting their anger before being pushed back to the city centre. State lawyers such as Khalifa sall now have one month to appeal.
“It’s a movie theatre that people are doing in court. It was a question of formality. Macky did not want Khalifa to show up, no point!” The people of Grand Yoff, where the family of Khalifa Sall still lives, do not understand the condemnation of the mayor of Dakar
