Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – A major legal confrontation is once again unfolding in Senegal after lawyers for former Youth Minister Mame Mbaye Niang announced plans to file a criminal complaint against Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and Finance Minister Cheikh Diba.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, January 30, 2026, Niang’s legal team accused the two senior government officials of manipulating official documents in an attempt to force a review of the long-running PRODAC case, which previously led to Sonko’s conviction for defamation.
The lawyers, including El Hadj Diouf, El Hadj Oumar Youm, and Baboucar Cissé, described the move as a politically motivated operation allegedly orchestrated at the highest levels of the state.
At the center of their complaint is the government’s reliance on a preliminary report by Senegal’s General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) dating back to 2018.
According to the defense, the IGF document has no legal standing, was never formally validated, and was authored by an official who is now deceased. “Attempting today to give legal value to a six-year-old preliminary report that was never approved amounts to outright forgery and the use of forged documents,” the lawyers said.
In addition to the planned complaint, Niang’s legal team said it is also considering filing charges against Prime Minister Sonko for what they described as the “fraudulent transfer of property.”
They allege that Sonko transferred leasehold rights to close associates in order to avoid paying 200 million CFA francs in damages, which he was ordered to pay following his final conviction for defamation.
Lawyers Reject Review of PRODAC Case
The defense insisted that the PRODAC case is legally closed, noting that Sonko’s conviction was upheld at all levels of the judiciary. They pointed out that the Supreme Court definitively rejected a final appeal on July 1, 2025.
Me Baboucar Cissé denounced what he called a “legal diversion,” arguing that defamation is a private offense that has already been conclusively ruled upon.
“There is no new fact and no new evidence. What is being attempted is a retrial of a matter that has already been definitively settled,” he said.
The lawyers also criticized the establishment of a 13-member government sponsored commission tasked with examining the possibility of revising the case. They argued that the body lacks independence, as it is largely composed of senior officials working under the authority of the justice minister.
“How can a commission made up of individuals directly subordinate to the minister claim to be independent?” the lawyers asked, warning that such a process poses a serious threat to the rule of law.
In closing, Niang’s legal team issued a public appeal to Senegal’s judiciary, urging magistrates to resist what they described as political pressure and to safeguard legal certainty in the country.
What had appeared to be a concluded legal saga has now re-emerged as a high-stakes institutional battle, one that is expected to weigh heavily on Senegal’s public and political debate in the weeks ahead.
