A former minister in Senegal’s government has been jailed on charges of extortion, embezzlement, and money laundering during his tenure as head of the national lottery, his lawyer confirmed to AFP on Friday.
Lat Diop, who led the national lottery from 2020 and later served as sports minister from 2023 to 2024 under former president Macky Sall, is the first ex-minister to be detained by the new administration that took office in April.
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President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko have repeatedly emphasized their commitment to holding the previous administration accountable.
Diop was jailed on Thursday, coinciding with Sonko’s promise to investigate what he described as “widespread corruption” under the former regime.
Diop is being investigated for his actions as head of the national lottery, not for his time as minister, according to his lawyer, El Hadji Diouf, who noted that Diop denied the charges. “The three offenses in question do not exist,” Diouf said, adding that he would seek to have the case dismissed.
Diop is also the first high-ranking official to be detained by a new judicial mechanism targeting financial crime, launched earlier this month. The mechanism, created under the former government, comprises specialized magistrates and investigators tasked with tackling corruption.
The charges against Diop reportedly stem from statements made by a former executive of an online sports betting company partnered with the national lottery.
The executive alleged he gave Diop five billion CFA francs ($8.5 million), a claim Diop denies.
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