Senegal’s Government announced that former President Macky Sall will be summoned to court following an audit report revealing significant financial irregularities during his time in office. The report, published in February 2025, exposed discrepancies in Senegal’s treasury, with debt and public deficit figures revised sharply upwards, and a 2023 budget deficit reported at 12.3%, double the previously announced figure. Sall, who served as president from 2012 to 2024, has dismissed the findings as politically motivated.
Government spokesman Moustapha Sarre accused Sall of catastrophic mismanagement, stating that he could be charged with “high treason” and that legal proceedings against him were inevitable. The investigation follows President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s promise to distance his administration from Sall’s legacy, including efforts to tackle alleged corruption. Sall’s tenure was also marked by political violence, with deadly protests between 2021 and 2024 that resulted in the deaths of at least 65 people.
This legal action would be unprecedented in Senegal’s history, as no former president has faced trial since the country’s independence from France in 1960. The current government has also pledged to abolish an amnesty law, introduced by Sall before leaving office, which has been criticised for shielding individuals involved in violent actions during his administration.