Senegal: Conviction of Dakar Mayor Barthélémy Dias upheld by Supreme Court

In Senegal, Barthélémy Dias, the current mayor of Dakar, saw his sentence of two years in prison, six months of which were suspended, confirmed by the Supreme Court on Friday 22 December in the early afternoon. He was tried after the death of a man, Ndiaga Diouf, who was shot dead in 2011 in front of the town hall of Mermoz-Sacré Coeur, where he was mayor at the time. A sentence that he has already served in pre-trial detention, but which is confirmed risks losing his position as a deputy.

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Dakar Mayor Barthélémy Dias speaks at an opposition rally two days before the trial of Ousmane Sonko, in Dakar, March 14, 2023. AFP - JOHN WESSELS

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With our correspondent in Dakar, Théa Ollivier

Twelve years to the day after the events, the President of the Supreme Court rejected Barthélémy Dias' appeal to the Court of Cassation, and thus confirmed his sentence to two years in prison, including six months in prison.

Pape Mor Niang, lawyer for the civil parties, was satisfied: "Justice has been served. We hope that Ndiaga Diouf will rest in his grave in peace. There are times when you have to accept not defeat, but acknowledge the facts as they happened. »

The Supreme Court's decision has no impact on Barthélémy Dias' term as mayor. But it could cause him to lose his seat as an MP. His lawyer, Ciré Clédor Ly, is still hopeful: "Well, the procedure is not over yet, but we also have the procedure for stopping and that we can actually initiate. So, this is just one step on the journey. ».

Barthélémy Dias, as announced, was not present at the hearing. But the verdict was closely followed by his political adviser, Thierno Ndiaye: "Each time, we wondered if there was not a political underpinning to the issue. Each time, on the eve of the elections, the trial was stirred. And today, we're talking about it. In any event, we take full note of the pronouncement of this verdict.

In view of the presidential election of February 2024, Barthélémy Dias has given his parliamentary sponsorship to candidate Khalifa Sall, of whom he is a loyal supporter.

Read alsoSenegal: the justice system confirms the conviction of Barthélémy Dias in the first instance

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