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Senegal’s National Assembly on Friday voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of two opposition lawmakers, Moustapha Diop and Salimata Diop, over allegations of embezzlement related to Covid-19 funds during their time as ministers in the previous government.
Both lawmakers, who served under former President Macky Sall—Diop as Minister of Industrial Development and Diop as Minister of Women’s Affairs—have denied the accusations. They are part of a broader group of at least six former ministers whose cases have been submitted to the National Assembly by the courts for alleged mismanagement of public funds tied to the pandemic response.
The controversy stems from a 1 trillion CFA franc ($1.7 billion) emergency fund launched in 2020 and 2021 to combat Covid-19’s impact on Senegal’s healthcare system, households, and economy. However, a December 2022 audit by the Court of Auditors revealed serious irregularities, including over-invoicing of 2.7 billion CFA francs for rice purchases meant for vulnerable populations and questionable spending such as 42 million CFA francs on hand sanitiser.
The motion to revoke the immunity of the two MPs passed with the backing of a majority of the 165-member Assembly, which is currently controlled by the ruling party.
Moustapha Diop is accused of improperly disbursing 2.5 billion CFA francs in cash for the purchase of face masks—an act officials say breached accounting regulations. Defending himself before fellow lawmakers, he insisted the funds were used appropriately and that all contracted suppliers were paid and delivered the required goods. His immunity had already been lifted in March in a separate case involving allegations of money laundering and embezzlement, where a jailed accountant claimed to have given him 300 million CFA francs to finance his 2024 election campaign.
Salimata Diop also refuted the charges, describing them as “misleading” and asserting she had done nothing wrong in her handling of more than 57 million CFA francs. “I have never taken a single franc from the State of Senegal,” she told journalists after the vote.
With their immunity lifted, both MPs may now be brought before the High Court of Justice (HCJ), which is mandated to try government officials for crimes committed in office. However, this requires an additional vote by the Assembly and a referral from a designated investigating committee.
The legal proceedings form part of a broader anti-corruption campaign promised by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who both pledged to dismantle the entrenched systems of impunity that have plagued previous administrations.
