Keypoints:
- Ex-mining minister accused of embezzling $330k
- First to face detention order in crackdown
- Five Sall-era ministers under investigation
SENEGAL has charged a former mining minister with embezzlement in an expanding anti-corruption drive targeting senior figures from the previous administration, AFP reported Wednesday.
Aissatou Sophie Gladima, who held the mining portfolio under former President Macky Sall, was formally charged by the Dakar high court and placed under a detention order, a source close to the case told AFP.
She is accused of embezzling over $330,000 from a Covid-19 relief fund meant to support miners affected by the pandemic.
Gladima is the first official in the current crackdown to face pre-trial detention, and the third Sall-era minister to be charged within the past three days.
Sall-era ministers under legal scrutiny
The high-profile arraignment follows similar court actions earlier in the week. On Monday, former women’s minister Salimata Diop was charged with complicity in embezzlement, while on Tuesday, ex-justice minister Ismaila Madior Fall was accused of taking bribes.
Two other former ministers—Amadou Mansour Faye and Moustapha Diop—are expected to appear before the court in the coming days, AFP added.
All five officials served under the administration of Macky Sall, who stepped down in 2024.
President Faye’s anti-graft campaign intensifies
The wave of prosecutions is part of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s campaign promise to restore transparency, accountability, and justice.
Since taking office last year, Faye has prioritised rooting out corruption and reversing the alleged misuse of public funds by top officials during the Sall presidency.
Gladima’s detention suggests a more assertive approach in holding former government officials accountable. Legal analysts say the move sends a clear signal that the new administration intends to follow through on its anti-corruption pledges.
As more cases come to court, President Faye’s handling of these investigations is likely to shape public confidence in his reform agenda.
