The trial in which Ousmane Sonko, leader of the Pastef party, is accused of rape by Adji Sarr, former masseuse ended late on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, May 24 at the Criminal Chamber of the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Dakar. After a long day of testimony, the prosecution presented its argument.
The prosecutor then laid out his indictment, during which he claimed 10 years of criminal imprisonment for Sonko, and 5 years of imprisonment for Ndeye Khady Ndiaye, owner of the salon where Adji Sarr worked, for complicity in rape. At the same time, Adji Sarr’s lawyer, Elhadji Diouf, claimed CFA 1.5 billion in damages. The deliberation is scheduled for 1 June 2023.
According to the prosecutor, Ndeye Khady Ndiaye confirmed that «Ousmane Sonko was a regular client who came hiding his face». For him, «the acts of rape accused of Ousmane Sonko do not suffer from any doubt». In addition, it was pointed out that Sonko categorically refused to submit to a DNA test that could have provided clarification to the situation.
The prosecutor also stressed the role of Ndeye Khady Ndiaye, whom he described as the coordinator of this device. According to him, she had known Ousmane Sonko since 2019 and had introduced him to Adji Sarr, who was always chosen by Sonko for his massage sessions. As part of his requisitions, the prosecutor requested a 10-year jail sentence for Sonko, for rape, or an alternative 5-year jail sentence for youth corruption. For Ndeye Khady Ndiaye, he requested a five-year prison sentence for complicity in rape and a one-year prison sentence for incitement to debauchery. Lawyer Elhadji Diouf, representing Adji Sarr, has requested a colossal sum of 1 billion 500 million CFA francs in damages. The closing argument ended late at night, marking an intense day in court.
Recall that in this controversial trial, Ousmane Sonko did not appear, had revealed in an interview that he had not received a summons. This information was confirmed by his lawyers, who appeared at the opening of the trial on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. However, they quickly denounced the court’s behaviour, accusing it of violating their client’s rights, and chose to leave the court in protest.
Ndeye Khady Ndiaye’s lawyers, also issued similar charges against the court. They decided to withdraw from the trial, not attending the next sessions. According to them, the court did not respect their client’s rights.
