Lawyers representing Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko have filed an appeal seeking a judicial review of the defamation trial that resulted in his conviction and political disqualification.
The case originated from a lawsuit filed by former Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang, who accused Sonko of defamation and public insults after allegations linked him to an Inspectorate General of Finance report on the Community Agricultural Domains Program.
In March 2023, a Dakar court handed Sonko a suspended prison sentence and imposed damages of 200 million CFA francs, a ruling later upheld on appeal in May 2023 with a reduced six-month suspended sentence.
That decision effectively barred Sonko from contesting the 2024 presidential election, before the Supreme Court confirmed the conviction in July 2025.
Sonko’s legal team argues that the proceedings were deeply flawed and politically motivated, describing the case as a coordinated judicial conspiracy that violated fair trial standards and damaged the credibility of Senegal’s justice system.
They fault the Supreme Court for declining to assess constitutional challenges and criticize the rapid invalidation of Sonko’s candidacy based on what they describe as a non-final ruling. According to the defense, a successful review would completely nullify the conviction rather than merely erase the sentence, opening the door to compensation.
The lawyers maintain that Sonko retains full civic and electoral rights and insist the review process, if accepted, would mark an unprecedented moment in Senegal’s legal history by overturning what they consider a politically engineered judgment.
