Senegal’s High Court of Justice has indicted Amadou Mansour Faye, a former minister of community development and brother-in-law of ex-president Macky Sall, on charges of embezzling more than $4.6 million in public funds.
The court, which handles cases involving former government officials, denied him bail and ordered his detention, according to his lawyer, Amadou Sall.
Faye is the fifth senior official from the previous administration to face charges since President Bassirou Diomaye Faye took office. The new president, elected on a platform of transparency and accountability, has vowed to clean up government and pursue justice in cases of alleged misuse of public resources.
Last week, the same court detained two other former ministers. Moustapha Diop, who headed the industrial development ministry, is accused of misappropriating about $4 million from Senegal’s Covid-19 relief fund. Aissatou Sophie Gladima, former minister of mines, faces charges over $330,000 allegedly misused from a support fund for miners affected by the pandemic.
The charges are based on findings from a parliamentary inquiry that uncovered widespread financial mismanagement under the previous administration. The recent wave of indictments highlights the government’s push to restore public trust in state institutions. However, critics warn that the legal actions could be politically motivated.
In response, President Faye’s government has maintained that the law will apply equally to all, and that protecting public funds is central to the country’s development agenda.
