Image copyright AFP Image caption Khalifa Sall was elected to parliament last year even though he was in detention

One of Senegal's most popular politicians has been jailed on charges of fraud which his supporters say are politically motivated.

Khalifa Sall, mayor of the capital Dakar, was sentenced to five years for embezzling $3.4m (£2.4m).

His conviction bars him from next year's elections, when he had been expected to present a strong challenge to President Macky Sall - no relation.

Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in West Africa.

It is the only country on mainland West Africa never to have had a military coup.

It has seen two peaceful transfers of power following elections, most recently in 2012, when Macky Sall became president.

Khalifa Sall, 62, was arrested last year and successfully stood for parliament even though he was in detention at the time.

His parliamentary immunity was lifted so he could stand trial.

'More popular in prison'

The court heard that he had used fake receipts for rice and millet, and diverted the money for "political purposes", reports the AFP news agency.

"I feel shame for my country," deputy Dakar mayor Cheikh Gueye told Reuters.

"This decision is meant to prevent Khalifa Sall from putting his name forward as presidential candidate."

His lawyers have told the media they intend to appeal. However, they are unable to launch the appeal process immediately as Senegal's court clerks are currently on strike.

The BBC's Alex Duval Smith in Dakar says that, whether or not there has been political interference in the trial, it appears to have boosted Khalifa Sall's popularity.

Ever since his arrest, and during last October's parliamentary election process, the mayor's supporters have painted him as a victim of an elitist and skewed justice system, she says, adding that he is more popular in his prison cell than he was in city hall chambers.</s>DAKAR, Senegal — A court in Senegal has sentenced Dakar’s mayor, a popular opposition figure, to five years in prison for forgery, criminal conspiracy, embezzlement and fraud.

The court announced Khalifa Sall’s sentence on Friday to shouts of indignation by more than 100 supporters in the courtroom.

Sall was arrested in March 2017 after a state audit revealed transfers through his office of about $46,000 per month. His lawyer has said missing public funds went to people in need.

Sall, who has been mayor of Senegal’s capital since 2009, denies the allegations. His lawyer says they will appeal the sentence.

The mayor’s supporters say President Macky Sall, who is not related, wants to eliminate his major opponents ahead of the 2019 elections in the West African nation.</s>DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A court in Senegal on Friday sentenced the capital’s mayor, a popular opposition figure, to five years in prison for forgery, criminal conspiracy, embezzlement and fraud.

More than 100 activists who had gathered to support Khalifa Sall shouted with indignation after the court read out his sentence.

“It is unfair. This verdict aims to bar the mayor of Dakar from the road to the 2019 presidential election,” said one supporter, Amadou Fall. “President Macky Sall wants to eliminate his opponents.”

Another young activist, Aminata Kane, broke down in tears. “This verdict is a breach of democracy,” Kane said.

Sall was arrested in March 2017 on suspicion of embezzling 1.8 billion CFA francs ($3.4 million). His lawyers have said the missing public funds went to people in need. The mayor has been in detention since his arrest.

Sall, who took office in 2009, denies the allegations, saying the charges and trial are politically motivated.

Senegal is seen as an example of a stable democracy in West Africa, but the mayor’s supporters accuse the president, who is not related, of aiming to remove any major opponents ahead of the 2019 elections.

Sall’s lawyer, Cledor Cire Ly, said they will appeal the sentence.

The court also sentenced Yaya Bodian and Mbaye Toure, the mayor’s accountant and director of administration and finance respectively, to five years in prison. An assistant was sentenced to two years.</s>Leading Senegalese politician Khalifa Sall was jailed for five years for fraud on Friday, a sentence that will rule him out of presidential elections due next February.

Sall, 62, who is mayor of Dakar, had denied the charges against him as politically motivated.

He had been accused of fraudulent use of public funds, for which he was also fined five million CFA francs (7,625 euros).

He was found not guilty on charges of criminal conspiracy, money laundering and misappropriating public funds.

Prosecutors had sought a seven-year prison term and a fine worth nearly $10 million (more than eight million euros).

And they said they would appeal the shorter sentence and the smaller fine.

The ruling "doesn't surprise us," said one of the lawyers for the state of Senegal, Baboucar Cisse, who insisted that the facts were "true."

"The state of Senegal will appeal," he said.

Sall was tried along with his financial director, Mbaye Toure, who was given the same sentences.

"In his capacity as authorising officer, Khalifa Sall has affixed his signature to the back of 110 false invoices" between 2011 and 2015, the judge, Malick Lamotte, said in his ruling.

"We are going to file an appeal, obviously," one of Sall's lawyers, Cheikh Khouraissi Ba, told AFP.

The trial had been avidly followed in Senegal since the start of the year, throwing a spotlight on Sall's high popularity and stirring debate over next year's elections if he were to be convicted.

Sall represents a growing challenge to incumbent President Macky Sall, who shares the same name but is not a relation.

Supporters of the mayor protested loudly in the packed courtroom when the verdict was announced and police were deployed around the building.

"Senegalese justice has kowtowed today. President Macky Sall issued an order which Judge Lamotte carried out," Moussa Taya, one of the mayor's political advisers, told the press.

"Today, Khalifa is in prison, but in the hearts of all Senegalese," said Makhtar Diaw, a deputy mayor in a district of Dakar.

A dissident member of the Socialist Party, Khalifa Sall began his political activism at the age of 11.

He later held various ministerial portfolios under then Socialist president Abdou Diouf before being elected mayor of the capital in 2009.

Sall and Tour appeared in the dock with six other municipal employees who faced the same charges. Of these, four were given jail terms ranging from six months to five years and two were discharged.

The specific charge of misappropriating public funds centred on 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) of city money which allegedly was misused between 2011 and 2015.

The court heard allegations of a system of fake receipts for rice and millet, the money from which Sall was accused of using for "political purposes".

Sall said the money was not diverted for personal or political use but instead used for discretionary spending on sensitive issues such as security.

"Should I be robbed of my right to be a candidate because Macky Sall doesn't want Khalifa Ababacar Sall to become his opponent in 2019?" the mayor asked combatively on the trial's last day.</s>A court in Senegal sentenced opposition leader Khalifa Sall, a former mayor of the capital Dakar, to five years in prison on Friday for embezzlement and falsifying documents.

Sall was arrested a year ago on suspicion of embezzling 1.8 billion CFA francs ($3.40 million). Prior to his arrest, he had been seen as a potential rival to President Macky Sall in elections set for next year. The two men are not related.

Two of the former mayor’s accomplices also got five years. His supporters say the trial was politically motivated, a charge the ruling party denies.

“I feel shame for my country,” deputy Dakar mayor Cheikh Gueye told Reuters. “This decision is meant to prevent Khalifa Sall from putting his name forward as presidential candidate.”

Senegal is seen as one of West Africa’s most stable and fair democracies, an image reinforced by a peaceful and well organised 2012 presidential poll.

But in recent years, opponents of the ruling party say standards are slipping. Last year’s legislative polls were marred by problems, with many hundreds of Senegalese voters prevented from casting ballots because of delays in issuing biometric voting cards.

Opposition supporters also decry what they say is a growing intolerance of dissent. Demonstrations in Dakar are often scattered by police tear gas.

The coalition of 91-year-old former president Abdoulaye Wade has said his party would boycott future elections over these complaints. Wade’s group has the second highest number of seats in parliament while Khalifa Sall’s party is third.

With little natural resource wealth, Senegal has been largely free of kleptocracy on the scale of the mineral-rich countries in the region, but has sometimes suffered corruption scandals nonetheless.

Karim Wade, the son of former president Wade, served three years in prison for corruption, including hiding funds in offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands and Panama.</s>Leading Senegalese politician Khalifa Sall was handed a five-year jail term for fraud on Friday, a sentence that will rule him out of presidential elections due next February.

Sall, 62, who is mayor of Dakar, had denied the charges against him as politically motivated.

He had been accused of fraudulent use of public funds, for which he was also fined five million CFA francs (7,625 euros).

He was found not guilty on charges of criminal conspiracy, money laundering and misappropriating public funds.

Prosecutors had sought a seven-year prison term and a fine worth nearly $10 million (more than eight million euros). Sall was tried along with his financial director, Mbaye Toure, who was given the same sentences.

"We are going to file an appeal, obviously," one of Sall's lawyers, Cheikh Khouraissi Ba, told AFP.

The trial had been avidly followed in Senegal since the start of the year, throwing a spotlight on Sall's high popularity and stirring debate over next year's elections if he were to be convicted.

Sall represents a growing challenge to incumbent President Macky Sall, who shares the same name but is not a relation.

Supporters of the mayor protested loudly in the packed courtroom when the verdict was announced and police were deployed around the building.

"Senegalese justice has kowtowed today. President Macky Sall issued an order which Judge (Malick) Lamotte carried out," Moussa Taya, one of the mayor's political advisers, told the press.

"The maximum sentence should have been three years but by sentencing him to five years today, they are preventing him from running in the elections," said Makhtar Diaw, a deputy mayor in a district of Dakar.

A dissident member of the Socialist Party, Khalifa Sall began his political activism at the age of 11.

He later held various ministerial portfolios under then Socialist president Abdou Diouf before being elected mayor of the capital in 2009.

Sall and Tour appeared in the dock with six other municipal employees who faced the same charges. Of these, four were given jail terms ranging from six months to five years and two were discharged.

The specific charge of misappropriating public funds centred on 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) of city money which allegedly was misused between 2011 and 2015.

The court heard allegations of a system of fake receipts for rice and millet, the money from which Sall was accused of using for "political purposes".

Sall said the money was not diverted for personal or political use but instead used for discretionary spending on sensitive issues such as security.

"Should I be robbed of my right to be a candidate because Macky Sall doesn't want Khalifa Ababacar Sall to become his opponent in 2019?" the mayor asked combatively on the trial's last day.</s>Leading Senegalese politician Khalifa Sall was handed a five-year jail term for fraud on Friday, a sentence that will rule him out of presidential elections due next February.

Sall, 62, who is mayor of Dakar, had denied the charges against him as politically motivated.

He had been accused of fraudulent use of public funds, for which he was also fined five million CFA francs (7,625 euros).

He was found not guilty on charges of criminal conspiracy, money laundering and misappropriating public funds.

Prosecutors had sought a seven-year prison term against Sall, who was tried along with his financial director, Mbaye Toure, and six other defendants.

The trial has been closely followed in Senegal, given Sall’s high popularity and the repercussions in next year’s presidential elections.

Sall represents a growing challenge to incumbent President Macky Sall, who shares the same name but is not a relation.

Supporters of the mayor protested loudly in the packed courtroom when the verdict was announced on Friday.

A dissident member of the Socialist Party, Khalifa Sall began his political activism at the age of 11.

After holding various ministerial portfolios under then Socialist president Abdou Diouf, he was elected mayor of the capital in 2009.

The court heard allegations of a system of fake receipts for rice and millet, the money from which Sall was accused of using for “political purposes”.

Sall said the trial was fuelled by his refusal to cut deals with the government and that the money was used for spending on sensitive issues such as security.</s>One of Senegal's most popular politicians has been jailed on charges of fraud which his supporters say are politically motivated.

Khalifa Sall, mayor of the capital Dakar, was sentenced to five years for embezzling $3.4m (£2.4m).

His conviction bars him from next year's elections, when he had been expected to present a strong challenge to President Macky Sall - no relation.

Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in West Africa.

It is the only country on mainland West Africa never to have had a military coup.

It has seen two peaceful transfers of power following elections, most recently in 2012, when Macky Sall became president.

Khalifa Sall, 62, was arrested last year and successfully stood for parliament even though he was in detention at the time.

His parliamentary immunity was lifted so he could stand trial.

The court heard that he had used fake receipts for rice and millet, and diverted the money for "political purposes", reports the AFP news agency.

"This decision is meant to prevent Khalifa Sall from putting his name forward as presidential candidate."</s>
• Senegalese MP Barthelemy Dias, a close ally of Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall who sentenced Friday to five years in prison for for “embezzling” $3.4m worth of public funds, is in custody.*

Barthelemy Dias was arrested Friday night by the gendarmerie research section and was still held Saturday in this unit in Dakar, according to his lawyer El Hadji Diouf.

“I do not know what he is being accused of, they (the gendarmes) blocked me yesterday from entering the gendarmerie,” he said.

Local newpapers say Barthelemy Dias was arrested for making disparaging remarks against the judges on Friday, after the Dakar mayor was sentenced.

“Mr. Barthelemy Dias made insulting remarks to the magistrates presiding over the case, such comments constitute an intolerable attack on the honor of the magistrates concerned and beyond, and on the dignity of the whole judiciary,” declared a statement published on Saturday by the Union of Senegalese Magistrates (UMS).

Dias is a member of the Socialist Party (PS) which is part of the presidential coalition and is a fervent supporter of Khalifa Sall.

Sall, 62, who is mayor of Dakar, had denied the charges against him as politically motivated.

His conviction bars him from next year’s elections, when he had been expected to present a strong challenge to President Macky Sall.

A dissident member of the Socialist Party, Khalifa Sall began his political activism at the age of 11.

He later held various ministerial portfolios under then Socialist president Abdou Diouf before being elected mayor of the capital in 2009.

Sall and Tour appeared in the dock with six other municipal employees who faced the same charges. Of these, four were given jail terms ranging from six months to five years and two were discharged.

The specific charge of misappropriating public funds centred on 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) of city money which allegedly was misused between 2011 and 2015.

The court heard allegations of a system of fake receipts for rice and millet, the money from which Sall was accused of using for “political purposes”.

Sall said the money was not diverted for personal or political use but instead used for discretionary spending on sensitive issues such as security.

“Should I be robbed of my right to be a candidate because Macky Sall doesn’t want Khalifa Ababacar Sall to become his opponent in 2019?” the mayor asked combatively on the trial’s last day.</s>A Senegalese court will this Friday deliver a verdict in a high-profile corruption trial of popular mayor, Khalifa Sall. The 62-year-old Dakar mayor and seven co-defendants are accused of misappropriating $2.85 million of city funds between 2011 and 2015 – a charge which Sall denies and which supporters say is politically motivated.

Fraud, criminal conspiracy and money laundering are also amongst their charges. Prosecutors are seeking a seven-year prison term for Sall and a fine worth nearly $10 million.

The verdict in the high-profile corruption trial is seen as capable of making or breaking the presidential ambitions of the popular mayor.
Senegalese Judge Malick LaMotte sentences Khalifa Sall [fr], mayor of Dakar, Senegal, to a five-year term for fraud.