Gambiaj.com – (VERSAILLES, France – The Versailles Court of Appeal was transformed into a high-stakes legal theater this Tuesday, February 3, 2026, as French magistrates heard arguments regarding the extradition of prominent Senegalese journalist and media executive Madiambal Diagne.

The hearing, which lasted several hours, exposed a profound rift between the French General Prosecutor’s Office and Diagne’s legal defense, with the journalist’s future now hanging in the balance until a final ruling is delivered on March 3.

The Prosecution’s Case: “Atypical and Opaque Flows”

The prosecution, aligning itself with the formal request from Dakar, presented a case built on an extensive financial investigation led by Judge Idrissa Diarra.

Central to their argument is the allegation of “atypical and opaque” financial flows involving SCI Pharaon, a real estate company managed by Diagne. Prosecutors claim that the company received over 4.1 billion CFA francs (approximately €6 million) from Ellipse Projects for services they deem fictitious.

They argued that SCI Pharaon lacked the technical capacity for architectural monitoring and that the contracts served merely as a “decoy” for the misappropriation of funds destined for justice modernization projects.

The Defense: “State Revenge”

In a sharp rebuttal, Diagne’s defense team, led by Me Vincent Brengarth and Me William Bourdon, dismissed the financial charges as a “disguised political vendetta.”

The lawyers argued that the procedure is an act of state revenge targeting Diagne for his close ties to former President Macky Sall and his persistent criticism of the current Faye-Sonko administration.

Beyond the merits of the case, the defense raised alarms over potential human rights violations, warning that extradition could lead to arbitrary detention and a breach of fair trial standards in Senegal.

They further alleged that Dakar had attempted to pressure the French court by threatening to freeze bilateral judicial cooperation.

As the hearing concluded, the presiding magistrates took the matter under advisement. The upcoming March 3 decision will not only determine the fate of one of Senegal’s most influential media figures but will also serve as a significant indicator of how French courts navigate the delicate intersection of international financial warrants and the protection of political exiles.