Senegal’s anti-corruption court has formally indicted on May 26 Amadou Mansour Faye, a former community development minister and brother-in-law of ex-President Macky Sall, for allegedly embezzling over $4.6 million in State funds.
The High Court of Justice, a specialised tribunal established to prosecute former Government officials, ordered Faye’s immediate detention and denied him bail, marking a significant escalation in the country’s anti-graft efforts. Faye is the fifth senior figure from the previous administration to face formal charges since the transition of power earlier this year.
The indictment follows an intensifying anti-corruption purge initiated by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, whose electoral campaign was anchored in pledges of transparency and public accountability. Just days before Faye’s arrest, the High Court detained two other ex-ministers—Moustapha Diop, formerly in charge of industrial development, and Aissatou Sophie Gladima, the former mines minister—on accusations of misappropriating pandemic-related relief funds amounting to millions of dollars. These arrests stem from findings in a parliamentary inquiry which uncovered systemic financial malpractice under the previous regime.
While the new Government’s zero-tolerance stance has drawn commendation from reform advocates, some observers warn of the potential for politically tinged reprisals. Nevertheless, the administration insists its actions are rooted in legal merit and a constitutional mandate to protect public assets. “No one is above the law,” a government spokesperson declared, reaffirming President Faye’s vision of a state built on integrity, where justice is blind to privilege and public trust is reclaimed through decisive action.