"Tell me where is the plot [against Ousmane Sonko]?" asked Amadou Sall, former Senegalese justice minister on France 24, from the Senegalese capital.
On March 30, Ousmane Sonko was given a two-month suspended prison sentence in a defamation lawsuit brought by Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang. This opponent of Macky Sall is also in trouble with the law amid accusations of rape by Adji Sarr, an employee of a beauty salon he frequented.
"Ousmane Sonko lacked discernment," said Amadou Sall, and his case is "different" from that of Karim Wade. Amadou Sall was the lawyer of Karim Wade, tried for illicit enrichment in 2015, and denounced a political trial, aimed at eliminating a potential rival.
>> Read also: Ousmane Sonko, the fierce opponent of Macky Sall who dreams of succeeding him
The 2024 presidential election in focus
Karim Wade and Khalifa Sall, former mayor of Dakar (2009-2018), are both excluded from the political game because of the convictions they are subject to. If passed by parliament, however, an amnesty law could allow them to run in the February 2024 presidential election. Amadou Sall said he was in favour of it in a "personal capacity", specifying that it was up to the President of the Republic and his majority to validate or not their candidacies.
The former Minister of Justice also repeated that President Macky Sall "may" run for a third term, believing that it is "a political issue", which "belongs to Macky Sall".
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