Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was on Thursday morning convicted and handed a two-year prison sentence with 600,000 CFA francs in fines for ‘corrupting young people’ in a case against a former masseuse Adji Sarr.
However, the Pastef leader was cleared on the principal charge of rape which was put forward by the prosecution who were seeking up to a ten-year sentence.
Recall, the Yewwi Askan Wi coalition figure had earlier been handed a six-month suspended prison sentence in a defamation case against Senegal’s tourism minister, Mame Mbaye Niang.
These convictions are a major challenge to Sonko’s candidature in Senegal’s Presidential vote in 2024, the latest verdict against him comes amidst deteriorating political tensions in the country.
