POLITICS
SENEGAL – Bibo Bourgi Case: The Senegalese State’s Insights
Following the political interpretations surrounding the decision of the Arbitral Tribunal of Paris, which granted Ibrahima Aboukhalil, alias Bourgi “Bibo”, the services of the Minister of Finance and Budget, Mamadou Moustapha Bâ, issued a statement this Sunday, July 23, 2023 to clarify this. The statement stresses that the State was not ordered to make a direct payment to Mr. Aboukhalil, but that the aforementioned sentence only allocated to him the equivalent of the aforementioned fine, as well as alleged financial and moral harm. However, this allocation would only apply in the case where the judgment of the Court of Repression of Illicit Enrichment (CREI) would be effectively enforced by the State, thus aiming to prevent and neutralize the effects of such recovery.
The Ministry of Finance, going back to the origin of the case, recalls that the French Court of Cassation ruled by dismissing the appeal without specifying any particular reason, which rendered the decision of the Tribunal arbitral de Paris fully enforceable. However, Mamadou Moustapha Bâ points out that to date, no property belonging to Senegal has been seized.
Ibrahima Aboukhalil, also known as Bibo Bourgi, is a member of the famous Bourgi family, of Lebanese origin and settled in Senegal since the last years of the colonial era. He is a businessman close to Karim Wade, his co-accused in the case of the “hunt for ill-gotten gains” that followed the election of Macky Sall to the presidency of the Republic in 2012. After a high-profile trial, Bibo Bourgi, considered the former minister’s chief “straw man”, was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 138.239 billion CFA francs. The execution of this decision had led to the seizure of several properties belonging to Bibo Bourgi in the country. To obtain compensation, Mr. Aboukhalil had invoked his French nationality as a businessman and had turned to the Tribunal arbitral de Paris, on the basis of the bilateral investment treaty between France andSenegal and the Regulations of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Thus, on 2 October 2021, the State of Senegal was ordered by the Court of Appeal of Paris to pay damages of approximately 256 million euros to Ibrahim Abou Khalil, said Bibo Bourgi.
In this note, the Minister of Finance points out that Senegal is a sovereign State with immunity from execution, making it impossible to enforce its property. This position is probably intended to protect national interests and avoid potentially harmful consequences for the State.
It is important to note that this case remains subject to future developments and that legal decisions may evolve over time.
POLITICS
SENEGAL – Harassment, food tampering, communication ban: the Diomaye Coalition President alert on the conditions of detention of his candidate
The Diomaye Coalition President warns about the conditions of detention of candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The members of the said coalition inform that his visiting days have been changed and he can only receive visits on Tuesdays and Wednesdays within the Court. He is also prohibited from telephone communications. The Diomaye Président coalition denounces this relentlessness against its candidate and holds the regime responsible for any attack on the physical or moral integrity of their candidate.
“Following the official launch of the Diomaye President Coalition and the massive adhesions of opposition leaders, it was expected that the government in power would reinstate the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye in his rights, particularly in the context of a presidential election of which he is undoubtedly the favourite,” reads a statement.
However, the Coalition announces that the Prison Administration, under the responsibility of the Minister of Justice, has decided to unilaterally and without justification tighten the conditions of detention of candidate Bassirou Diomaye FAYE by:
“A unilateral modification of his visiting days now, the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye can only receive visits on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and this within the Court itself. A ban on telephone communications under the pretext that the favorite candidate in the presidential election whose campaign begins in two days has conversations whose purpose is political. A continuous harassment of the room of the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye is now searched at every turn.”
Moreover, she notes a «lack of security measures despite her status as a candidate in the presidential election of February 25, 2024 and multiple alerts on probable alterations of the food served to her. Candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye no longer has breakfast.”
The Diomaye President coalition denounces this relentlessness against its candidate. “We strongly denounce this umpteenth violation of the principle of equality between candidates in the presidential election of February 25, 2024. We call for the immediate release of Bassirou Diomaye Faye to actively participate in the election campaign.”
In any case, she stresses, «the State of Senegal has the responsibility to ensure its protection if it unjustly decides to maintain it in the bonds of detention».
In short, the Diomaye Coalition President indicates that «Macky Sall, Aissata Tall Sall and Amadou Ba will be held responsible for any attack on the physical or moral integrity of the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye».
Source : PressAfrik
POLITICS
SENEGAL – 100.000 Housing: Ismaila Madior Fall á Bambilor for the inauguration
This Friday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese from outside, Ismaila Madior Fall, accompanied by Minister Annette Ndiaye Seck, will inaugurate the “City of the Diaspora” in Bambilor. This project aims to prevent the creation of new slums and encourage the mass production of accessible housing.
According to the Observer, the aim is to boost and diversify the supply of housing for low-income and/or irregular households, while facilitating access to adapted bank financing. With a clear vision of strengthening the construction ecosystem, this initiative demonstrates the commitment of the Senegalese government to its diaspora.
The 100,000 units planned in this project were developed in partnership with the Senegalese government and its collaborators, seeking to meet the specific housing needs and concerns of Senegalese living abroad.
Source: PressAfrik
POLITICS
SENEGAL – Thione Niang “I have no program, I have a vision”
Social entrepreneur Thione Niang is a candidate in the February 2024 election. In this exclusive interview, he reveals his vision, his projects in particular, “Give One project”, “JeufZone” which includes an agricultural component, training but also women’s empowerment.
It was an opportunity for the social entrepreneur to look back on his beginnings, on the process of returning to his country of origin, Senegal. He addressed the political question: his involvement in the political ring while giving his opinion on the Senegalese political landscape.
African politics is another aspect of this interview. The urgency of the industrialization of the continent, the urgency of helping African youth so that they have the same opportunities for development as other young people in the world, is close to his heart.
On the question of the African school, Thione Niang proposes a redesign of it, starting with a paradigm shift and especially the content of the teachings. According to him, we must return to our fundamentals, namely our own models of identity representations, notably Cheikh Anta Diop or Nkrumah.
Thione Niang, also told us about vision, his vision and not a program, to give each Senegalese what he deserves both in terms of education, health, but also on the development of infrastructure, which, according to him, necessarily passes first and foremost through food self-sufficiency, hence his return to the land for an assertive agricultural progress.
He ended up sending a strong message to all Senegalese.
The rest of the interview on this link:
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