VZCZCXRO6208
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0111 0271719
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271719Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1779
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS DAKAR 000111 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM ECON SG
SUBJECT: Senegal: Former National Assembly Chair Arrested 
 
REF: Dakar 08 1401 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: On January 26, The Minister of Interior, Cheikh 
Tidiane Sy, issued a press release accusing former Prime Minister 
Macky Sall of money laundering.  Subsequently, Sall was ordered to 
appear in the central police station to be taken into custody.  Sall 
resigned a couple of month ago from the ruling PDS (Democratic Party 
of Senegal), after having been ousted from his position as President 
of the National Assembly by Wade loyalists.  Since then he has 
created his own party and joined a coalition of opposition parties 
to contest the upcoming local elections.  While there is certainly a 
possibility that the criminal charges arrayed against are legally 
sound, the timing is widely believed to be political motivated to 
prevent Sall from being a factor in the local elections and to nip 
his presidential ambitions in the bud.  End Summary. 
 
Eliminating an opponent 
----------------------- 
¶2. (SBU) Macky Sall's Chief of Protocol, Samba Diop, told Embassy 
that Sall was ordered to report to the Main Police Station of Dakar 
on January 27 with his communication adviser Abou Abel Thiam. 
According to Diop, units of Special Forces from the Dakar police 
department, led by Police Chief Modou Diagne, have been watching his 
house since January 26.  Sall has already set up an emergency task 
force with his lawyers and made a press statement strongly denying 
all accusations.  His spokesman said that Sall fears that they wish 
to detain him to derail his preparations for the March 22 local 
elections and to prevent him from attending the National Prayer 
Breakfast in Washington, which would raise his international 
profile. 
 
Handy charges 
------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The press release states, "The Ministry of Interior has 
received information indicating that Mr. Macky Sall, former Chair of 
Senegal's National Assembly and Mr. Abdoulaye Sall, a Senegalese 
National residing in Gabon are involved in a money laundering 
network.  The Ministry has intercepted correspondence with an 
African Head of State indicating that the suspected funds come from 
the latter.  This type of financial operation is illicit and the 
Ministry of Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor's office are 
investigating the case." 
 
The culprit 
----------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The alleged accomplice is a billionaire who has businesses 
in Gabon and who recently joined Macky Sall's party after being a 
member of Union for Democratic Renewal (URD) (a party in Wade's own 
coalition.)  He arrived in Senegal for a family visit on January 24 
and was harassed at the airport and thoroughly searched by the 
police.  His house was illegally searched as well.  Although no 
evidence was found, the police decided to arrest and detain him on 
January 26 on the grounds that government had documents establishing 
his conspiracy with Macky Sall in a money laundering operation. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The sudden and convenient apparition of criminal charges 
against political opponents has become common under Wade's regime. 
After former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck fell out with Wade, he 
faced the same kind of harassment.  It now appears that it is Sall's 
turn.  In a discussion that he had with poloffs in December (Reftel) 
Sall acknowledged that he would probably be harassed.  It is sad to 
say that these charges come as no surprise, especially on the heels 
of Seck's return to the PDS. 
Bernicat