Gambiaj.com – (PARIS, France) – Madiambal Diagne, a prominent Senegalese media tycoon and close associate of former President Macky Sall, was arrested in France on Tuesday, October 21, following an international warrant issued by the Senegalese judiciary. His lawyer, William Bourdon, confirmed the arrest.

Diagne, a well-known columnist and outspoken critic of Senegal’s current government, has been at the center of a high-profile corruption probe involving alleged kickbacks totaling more than €32 million.

According to judicial sources, an international arrest warrant was issued on September 26, after Diagne reportedly fled Senegal through The Gambia to France—despite being under a travel ban.

Interpol approved the Senegalese authorities’ request for his arrest last week, paving the way for Tuesday’s detention in France.

The charges against Diagne are extensive. He is accused of criminal association, fraud involving public funds, and money laundering committed by an organized group using professional structures to conceal illicit proceeds.

The allegations stem from a 2020 report by Senegal’s Court of Auditors, which uncovered questionable financial transactions linked to a company owned by the journalist.

Senegalese investigators have also targeted members of Diagne’s family in connection with the same case. His wife, Mabintou Diaby, and his sons, Serigne Saliou and Mohamed Diagne, were arrested in late September and remanded in custody by the senior investigating judge of the Financial Judicial Pool of the Dakar Court.

The probe marks one of the most significant corruption cases to surface since the change of administration in Senegal earlier this year. Diagne’s arrest in France is expected to trigger complex extradition proceedings as Senegalese authorities seek to bring him home to face justice.