Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – Senegal’s National Assembly is set to convene in a crucial plenary session on Friday, March 21, 2025, to determine whether to lift the parliamentary immunity of Louga MP and former minister Moustapha Diop. This development follows an investigation into allegations of embezzlement linked to the misappropriation of CFA 700 million from the state agency APROSI, allegedly used to finance his campaign in the 2024 legislative elections.

According to a press release from the National Assembly’s communication unit, the plenary session, scheduled for 3 p.m., will review the conclusions of an ad hoc parliamentary commission that has already interviewed Diop regarding the allegations. The commission’s findings will be presented for approval or rejection by the full Assembly.

The case centers around Tabaski Ngom, a Treasury Inspector and former APROSI accountant, who remains in custody and reportedly admitted to investigators that she participated in a scheme to funnel state funds to Diop’s campaign. Also implicated is Momath Ba, the former director general of APROSI, who secured his release by posting a CFA 90 million bond.

Despite the mounting scrutiny, Moustapha Diop has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. In an exclusive interview with Jacob Post TV, he maintained that his campaign was financed entirely with his own funds. “All the money I used can be traced. Therefore, I have nothing to hide. If candidates were asked to justify their funding, I would be the first to do so,” he stated.

The National Assembly’s decision on Friday will be pivotal in determining whether Diop will face legal proceedings or retain his parliamentary immunity, shielding him from prosecution. The case has sparked widespread debate in Senegal, raising concerns over the integrity of campaign financing and the misuse of public funds.

During Macky Sall’s rule, Moustapha Diop was Senegal’s Minister of Industry and Small and Medium Industry. Diop would be the second former political associate of Macky Sall to experience this fate if his immunity is revoked, following Farba Ngom, who is presently being held on the same charges of misappropriation of public funds.