Babacar bâ challenges ousmane sonko on political fund transparency in Senegal

Babacar Bâ, the esteemed president of the Forum du justiciable, has once again stepped forward to denounce what he describes as a stark inconsistency in the discourse of former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko regarding the transparency of political funding. In a recent public declaration, the human rights advocate underscored that Sonko, who now positions himself as a champion of integrity and sound governance, personally oversaw a political fund exceeding 1.7 billion CFA francs during his tenure at the Primature – a sum Sonko had previously acknowledged publicly.

For Babacar Bâ, the irony is particularly striking. The current leader of Pastef had, in the past, frequently criticized what he labeled the state’s “caisses noires” (secret funds), only to subsequently manage similar financial mechanisms once he assumed governmental responsibilities. The coordinator of the Forum du justiciable has consistently made the issue of political funds a cornerstone of his advocacy in recent months, repeatedly calling for the Presidency, Primature, and National Assembly to disclose the precise amounts received and to submit to rigorous oversight by the Cour des comptes.

The FJ president characterized the current state of governance in Senegal as nothing short of an institutional charade. He passionately appealed to the Senegalese populace, urging them to awaken, unify, and collectively seize control of their destiny – a powerful message delivered with an emotional intensity that notably diverges from his typically technical analyses of public finance management.