Senegalese court sentences son of ex-president to 6 years in prison

Karim Wade, son of Senegal's ex- president Abdoulaye Wade, was on Monday sentenced to six years in prison with a fine of 276 million U.S. dollars by the country's anti-corruption court.

Wade had been charged for illegally acquiring wealth estimated to be 234 million U.S. dollars.

The special prosecutor had asked the court to imprison him for seven years with a fine of 250 billion CFA Francs (500 million dollars). He had further asked for confiscation of his properties and deprivation of his rights.

The prosecutor had further asked the court to sentence his accomplices to a period ranging from 4 to 10 years, and to fine each of them 250 billion CFA Francs.

The ruling in the case which was the longest in Senegal since it began in July 2014, was made in the presence of Abdoulaye Wade who left the courtroom without saying a word.

His accomplices who included Alioune Diasse and Bibo Bourgi were sentenced to five years in prison and fined 138 billion CFA Francs, while Pape Mamadou Pouye was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 68 billion CFA Francs.

Fourty-eight hours before the ruling, Karim Wade who had been in detention for the last 23 months, was chosen as the opposition's presidential candidate in the forthcoming elections during the national congress of the main opposition party, Senegalese Democratic Party. Endi