Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – Former Senegalese president Macky Sall has assembled a powerful legal and financial team to fight allegations that his administration concealed nearly $7 billion in public debt, a scandal that has shaken Senegalese politics and strained investor confidence.
According to RFI correspondent Léa-Lisa Westerhoff, Sall has retained the French law firm FTMS—renowned for handling sensitive and high-profile cases—alongside a group of Senegalese lawyers whose identities have not yet been revealed.
The defense team, appointed about two weeks ago, is already working with public finance experts to scrutinize reports that form the backbone of the accusations.
The case stems from findings by Senegal’s Court of Auditors and the General Inspectorate of Finance, both of which concluded that Sall’s outgoing government failed to fully disclose the nation’s debt burden.
The revelations, publicized by the Faye-Sonko administration in September 2024, triggered Moody’s downgrade of Senegal’s sovereign rating, sparking discontent within the private sector.
FTMS brings both reputation and experience to Sall’s defense. Its lead counsel, Pierre-Olivier Sur, is no stranger to Senegalese courts.
In 2013, he represented Karim Wade, son of former president Abdoulaye Wade, in a corruption trial, and in 2023, he defended Sall’s tourism minister in a defamation case against then-opposition leader, now Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko. Sur’s client list extends beyond Senegal, having represented former Guinean president Alpha Condé, Gabon’s Omar Bongo, and even French football star Kylian Mbappé.
The defense strategy is centered on dismantling the financial claims. Sall’s lawyers have officially requested access to the Inspectorate’s report, the Court of Auditors’ findings, and the National Assembly’s settlement laws that validate annual budget executions.
The APR, Sall’s party, has also demanded access to the Mazars audit commissioned by the current government to reassess public debt.
“Once we have these documents, we will be able to prepare a defense strategy within about ten days,” the French law firm stated.
The former president, who has rejected the accusations from the outset, appears determined to shift the battleground from politics to numbers, betting that detailed financial analysis can cast doubt on the government’s claims.
As the “hidden debt” affair continues to polarize Senegal, Sall’s pushback signals the start of what could become a long and technical courtroom confrontation—one that may determine not only his legacy but also the country’s economic credibility.
