In Senegal, five former ministers who served under ex-President Macky Sall are set to stand trial before the High Court of Justice. On Thursday, May 8, a majority of members of the National Assembly voted in favor of prosecuting them.
The trial will begin soon at this special court, the only one authorized to try former ministers and heads of state. Most charges involve alleged mismanagement of Covid-19 relief funds—except for the former Minister of Justice, who is accused of corruption.
Moustapha Diop, Amadou Mansour Faye, Aissatou Sophie Gladima, Salimata Diop, and Ismaïla Madior Fall, all served under Macky Sall’s government, and they are the first group of ex-ministers to face the High Court, according to RFI.
The targeted Covid-19 fund, known as the “Covid-19 Force”, was meant to support households and businesses during the pandemic but is now suspected to have been misused. A 2023 report by the Court of Auditors pushed Dakar’s Financial Prosecutor’s Office to pursue criminal charges.
This court has only been used twice since 1960: in 1963, to try former President of the Council Mamadou Dia, and in 2005, for ex-Prime Minister Idrissa Seck, who was later cleared.
Among the five, Ismaïla Madior Fall, former Minister of Justice, is the only one facing charges unrelated to Covid-19—he is accused of misappropriation of public funds, corruption, and more.
