DAKAR: According to lawyers, Senegal’s Supreme Court decided against opposition lawmaker Ousmane Sonko in his appeal of a libel conviction on Friday, dealing another blow to his chances of running in next month’s presidential election.
Sonko, 49, has been fighting numerous legal battles since 2021. These have impeded his aspirations to run for president in the February 25 election and fueled turmoil that has tarnished Senegal’s status as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies.
According to lawyers engaged in the case, the court dismissed Sonko’s appeal against a May conviction that resulted in a six-month suspended sentence for libel after deliberations that lasted from Thursday into the early hours of Friday.
“We have just achieved a tremendous victory.” “If the… sentence is upheld, Ousmane Sonko will be unable to vote in the election,” stated the plaintiff’s lawyer, El Hadji Diouf, on the radio.
Sonko’s legal team stated that the setback was not permanent. “The fight will continue,” his lawyer Cire Cledor Ly told reporters outside the Dakar courthouse.
There was no instant public outpouring of rage in response to the verdict.
Sonko’s legal saga began in 2021, when he was accused of rape, igniting violent upheaval across the country that has since flared up irregularly in response to numerous court decisions.
He denies any misconduct and claims that all charges brought against him are political in nature. The government disagrees and accuses Sonko of inciting violence. In July, it disbanded his Pastef party.
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“No one doubts the political aspect of this affair, which aims to eliminate the leader of the opposition,” Pastef spokeswoman El Malick Ndiaye stated in response to the new verdict.
“Sonko is still in the running,” he remarked on national radio.
After finishing third in Senegal’s presidential election in 2019, Sonko is viewed as a strong possible opponent to President Macky Sall, who is stepping down after two terms.
Sonko filed his candidacy from prison last month when another court in the southern city of Zinguichor, where he is mayor, ordered his reinstatement on the electoral roll.
He was dismissed after being detained on insurrection accusations in July. He has been detained since then.
The electoral commission is assessing applications and plans to release a final list of approved presidential contenders by January 20.
