Senegal: The Supreme Court has overturned the decision of the Ziguinchor court, and refers the State and Ousmane Sonko to the High Court of Dakar
It appears that the former leader of the now-dissolved political party Pastef in Senegal is still facing difficulties. The Supreme Court overturned, on Friday, November 17, the decision of the Ziguinchor court that had ordered the reinstatement of Ousmane Sonko on the electoral lists, thereby referring the matter to the Dakar High Court.
On June 1st, Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for corrupting youth, leading to his automatic removal from the electoral lists. However, on October 12th, the Ziguinchor Court of First Instance had ordered the reinstatement of Ziguinchor’s mayor on the electoral lists. With the Supreme Court’s decision to refer both parties to a district court, Sonko’s lawyers believe the aim is to buy time and exclude their client from the Presidential race.
It’s worth noting that at the end of September, Sonko’s lawyers attempted to bring the case to the West African Court, requesting a ruling on human rights violations their client allegedly suffered. These included the right to a fair trial, freedom of assembly, and his arrest.
However, the ECOWAS Court rejected all these requests outright. Simultaneously, the Court declined to rule on the dissolution of Ousmane Sonko’s party and his removal from the electoral lists. The opposition’s lawyers sought the ECOWAS Court’s intervention to suspend this decision, but their attempts were unsuccessful.
The situation within Pastef’s ranks is currently marked by complete uncertainty. Time is of the essence, and the opposition’s lawyers did not hide their anger after the two recent decisions.
