Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – The legal procedure to review the high-profile defamation and public insults case opposing opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to former tourism minister Mame Mbaye Niang has officially been set in motion, according to information from the Senegalese media.
Newspapers in Dakar report that the State counsel at the Supreme Court, acting on the instructions of the Minister of Justice, Yassine Fall, filed a formal request on December 31 seeking a review of the final ruling delivered by the Dakar Court of Appeal on May 8, 2023.
That ruling had convicted Sonko of defamation and public insults, sentencing him to a suspended prison term and damages, and effectively excluding him from contesting the 2024 presidential election.
According to Libération, the State Counsel has asked the First President of the Supreme Court to accept the application for review, annul the Court of Appeal’s judgment, and refer Ousmane Sonko to a different Court of Appeal for a fresh trial on the same charges.
The Supreme Court is now expected to examine the request after collecting written observations from all parties involved, including Sonko’s legal team and counsel for Mame Mbaye Niang.
The case stems from public statements made by Sonko in 2022, in which he accused Mame Mbaye Niang of financial impropriety linked to the management of a public agricultural program.
Niang strongly denied the allegations and initiated legal action, arguing that the claims were defamatory and unsupported by judicial findings.
While Sonko’s defense maintained that his remarks were based on a report by the Inspection General d’Etat (IGE) and later by the Inspection General des Finances (IGF), the trial courts ruled that the accusations of Sonko against Mame Mbaye Niang were never established in either of the mentioned reports and amounted to defamation.
The May 2023 conviction became one of the most consequential legal decisions in Senegal’s recent political history, as it triggered Sonko’s loss of eligibility under the electoral code, barring him from the 2024 presidential race.
The ruling fueled months of political tension, protests, and debate over judicial independence and the use of legal proceedings against opposition figures.
The launch of the review procedure is therefore being closely watched, both for its legal implications and for its broader political significance. If the Supreme Court grants the request and annuls the original ruling, it could reopen a case long considered settled and potentially reshape the legal narrative surrounding one of Senegal’s most contentious political confrontations in recent years.
