Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – Amadou Mansour Faye, former Minister of Community Development, Social and Territorial Equity under the regime of President Macky Sall and brother to former First Lady Marième Faye Sall, has been released on bail this Thursday by Senegal’s High Court of Justice investigating committee after four months in pre-trial detention.
Faye, who also serves as mayor of Saint-Louis, was remanded on May 26, 2025, on multiple charges, including criminal conspiracy, bribery, corruption, illegal taking of interest, forgery and use of forged commercial or banking documents, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, and complicity in the handling of COVID-19 funds.
The case revolves around the supply of rice worth an estimated 2.749 billion CFA francs.
He was last heard by the investigating committee on September 15, where he contested the allegations against him.
At the heart of the case is a 2013 ministerial decree that pegged the price of a ton of rice at 250,000 CFA francs. Investigators allege that Faye purchased rice at 275,000 CFA francs per ton in 2020, exceeding the regulated price.
Faye argued that the price increase was justified due to changes in market conditions and stressed that he was not directly involved in awarding contracts.
He explained that a committee was responsible for evaluating tenders and selecting suppliers, adding that the contract in question went to the lowest bidder at 275,000 CFA francs per ton while others were buying at 300,000 CFA francs.
His defense lawyers also challenged the applicability of the 2013 decree, noting that it was valid only for two months, renewable once, and covered several products, including oil and sugar.
They questioned why only the rice procurement was being scrutinized, suggesting their client was being singled out while other entities such as Sonacos had not faced similar investigations.
The decision to grant Faye bail under judicial supervision follows intense legal debate over the scope of the charges and the evidence presented. His release marks a significant development in one of the country’s most closely watched alleged corruption cases linked to the management of COVID-19 funds under the previous administration.
