On December 14, a Dakar district court judge will rule on Ousmane Sonko’s electoral delisting lawsuit. The Dakar district court began hearings on Tuesday to determine whether Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who is now imprisoned, should be reinstated or not on election lists. The court’s decision will eventually determine Sonko’s candidacy for the presidential election in February 2024.
On November 17, the Supreme Court overruled an October decision that had reinstated Mr. Sonko in the campaign by nullifying his removal from the electoral rolls following a two-year prison sentence in a morals case in June.
During the hearing, Ousmane Sonko’s lawyer, Babacar Niang, did not mince words when describing Senegal’s stance against Sonko.
According to Babacar Niang, “the State of Senegal is behaving like a thug.” The state council rose to cut lawyer Babacar Niang’s sentence short. Bamba Cissé, another Sonko attorney, rushed to his colleague’s aid, reminding the state counsel that he had no right to interrupt his colleague’s remarks.
The judge then intervened to restore order, reminding the lawyers that it is only his responsibility to preside over the hearing. Lawyer Niang then launched another attack on Senegal, calling it “a bandit state that produces forgeries.”
The state lawyer, on his part, stated that Ousman Sonko’s rights were protected. To bolster his case, he cited a recent ECOWAS community court verdict that determined Senegal’s government did not infringe on Sonko’s rights.
Furthermore, the state counsel stated, “Because Senegal is a state that follows the rule that a lawyer can make certain remarks and walk away unscathed.” ”You are not more legalist than us, to the extent of even underrating other civil officers of this country and accusing them of falsification,” Niang, the state counsel, remarked, looking at Sonko’s attorney.
Another of Sonko’s lawyers, Ousseynou Ndom, contended that the term “rogue state” is not derogatory. However, state attorney Me El Hadj Diouf opposed, saying, “We will know who is a bandit, who is a thug, and who is not.” This country has laws that we must follow. “Ousmane Sonko cannot run in elections,” Me El Hadj Diouf remarked.
