Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – Amadou Daff, the coordinator in France of Senegal’s former ruling party, the Alliance for the Republic (APR), has been placed in police custody on suspicion of embezzling French public funds. His arrest follows an investigation initiated after a judicial report in early 2023 uncovered financial irregularities linked to associations receiving state funding.

According to French TV channel Europe 1, Daff, a former municipal councilor in Mantes-la-Jolie, allegedly misappropriated over €500,000 (approximately 327 million CFA francs) through a fraudulent scheme involving fake invoices and shell companies.

The alleged crimes span a decade and center around an association he led, which was meant to provide mediation services in Mantes-la-Jolie. However, an audit revealed that the organization functioned as a front for siphoning public funds.

Authorities have since dissolved the association, and the judicial inquiry has pointed to a structured system of fraud orchestrated by Daff.

His political and community engagements in France, particularly in mediation and migrant solidarity, had positioned him as an influential figure among the Senegalese diaspora.

Daff had also been removed from his municipal functions in Mantes-la-Jolie due to his prolonged absence, including during the 2024 European elections. Despite the seriousness of the allegations, neither his associates nor local officials in Mantes-la-Jolie have commented on the case.

His arrest marks a significant development, raising questions about oversight in public funding for associations and the potential ramifications for APR’s political network in France.