–
Even if they do not talk about it too much, the Senegalese have not yet turned the page on the famous story of corruption, which directly involved Aliou Sall, the brother of President Macky Sall. In June 2019, a report by the BBC had denounced a transaction of 250,000 dollars (more than 134 million FCFA) on the part of the company specializing in hydrocarbons Petro-Tim to the company Agritrans, a company controlled by the mayor of Guédiawaye.
Does Aliou have “Sall” hands? At least this is the question that most Senegalese ask themselves and many are affirming that the mayor of Guédiawaye is not white as snow in this affair of corruption, which has scandalized the whole country. And for several years, the Senegalese justice has been investigating suspicions of corruption in Senegal’s oil and gas industry. But the judge in charge of the case finally decided to dismiss this case which caused a stir.
After hearing the various protagonists, including Aliou Sall, who is none other than the brother of the President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, the judge responsible for shedding light on this case allegedly said that it is not established that money was paid to corrupt anyone. The investigation also did not reveal that the state had been cheated, he said. However, the magistrate notes that the contracts were backdated to January 2012. On the other hand, he does not rule out either that a “bonus” was requested from a competitor of Pétro-Tim to make his offer more attractive and obtain the contract. , in addition to 3 million dollars (over 1.6 billion FCFA) in penalties for work not carried out on another block. But that was under the administration preceding that of Macky Sall. And the judge indicated that if hijackings took place on this occasion, they are prescribed.
« According to the report I read, the examining magistrate cannot incriminate or imprison someone without having proof of their guilt. ”Said Senegalese President Macky Sall. He assured that he himself had asked the justice to investigate, an unprecedented fact according to him when the name of a relative of the head of state, in this case his younger brother Aliou Sall, is cited. The latter and BP have always defended themselves against any wrongdoing.
The affair caused a lot of talk, both because it affected the entourage closest to the President, but also the hydrocarbon resources which have been discovered in recent years in the Atlantic off Senegal, including the country has high hopes. It concerns the award, in June 2012, of the exploration and exploitation of two oil and gas fields to the company Petro-Tim of the Australian-Romanian businessman Frank Timis, a novice in the sector, associated with Petrosen (Société des pétroles du Sénégal).
In addition to the bonus of 250,000 dollars (134 million FCFA) paid to Agritrans, the revelations point to the takeover, by the British Petroleum group, of the holdings of Frank Timis’ group, in 2017, for 250 million dollars (134 , 2 billion FCFA), accompanied by royalties of some 10 billion dollars (5,370 billion FCFA) over 40 years, diverting significant revenues from the state coffers.
–
