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Pursued especially for "apologizing for terrorism" and "criminal conspiracy", Imam Alioune Badara Ndao was released Thursday at first instance. The 29 co-defendants, including Makthar Diokhané, the alleged "brain", were sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Behind his long white beard, Imam Alioune Badara Ndao has become the face of an unprecedented judicial soap opera in Senegal, on grounds of suspicion of creating a jihadist base and links with terrorist organizations Daesh and Boko Haram
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The trial, opened last April, lasted three months. Imam Ndao has been in prison since 2015. On Thursday, July 19, 2018, Judge Samba Kane acquitted him of the main charges, including "apologie du terrorisme", "criminal badociation in relation to a company". terrorist "and" money laundering ", for which the prosecutor had required thirty years of imprisonment.
The preacher of the mosque of Kaolack was however found guilty of" illegal possession of weapon "and sentenced to one month of prison with suspended sentence. "Justice has shown that the heavier charges against our client are unfounded. Imam Ndao was wrongly involved in this case. His only misfortune is to have been in contact with people prosecuted for terrorism cases. The prosecution has done an excess involving it, "said Me Babacar Ndiaye, lawyer of the Imam.
A release welcomed as a divine judgment by the followers of the Imam, who came in numbers and who, to the pronunciation of judgment, threw themselves on the ground shouting "Allah Akbar".
Up to twenty years in prison
In the courtroom, the imam's co-defendants were sentenced to much harsher sentences, ranging from five to twenty years in prison. The heaviest was attributed to Makthar Diokhané, considered to be the thought leader of the alleged terrorist cell.
A "hazardous" decision, according to Makthar Diokhané's lawyer
Known to the police for his relations with Boko Haram, he was sentenced to twenty years in prison. "The Court has not yet communicated the reasons for this decision which seems to us risky. In this case, the "criminal conspiracy" was motivated by acts of terrorism. It's new! hammer Me Albadane Cissé, lawyer Makthar Diokhané. This decision is all the more caustic because the prosecutor abandoned this charge, finding that my client was only complicit in this offense. We hear fighting on appeal, my client should be quietly at home. "
A case of extraordinary magnitude
With 29 co-defendants tried at the opening of the trial in April, the case of Imam Ndao is of an immeasurable scale in Senegal. By its magnitude, and by the gravity of the alleged facts. In essence, the 30 defendants are accused of having wanted to install a jihadist base in Casamance, in southern Senegal, in order to establish a vast West African network, extended to Gambia, Guinea or Guinea-Bissau. A sprawling project in which the Senegalese justice wished to show the greatest firmness.
The elements of the file demonstrate that Imam Ndao can not be condemned for illegal possession of weapon ", says the defense of the Imam Ndao
Makthar Diokhané, the alleged "brain" of the network, and his lawyers are clear about their intention to appeal. For their part, and despite a release of almost all charges, the defense of Imam Ndao could follow suit: "The evidence shows that Imam Ndao can not be sentenced for unlawful detention. 'armed. We will consult with all Alioune Ndao's lawyers and decide whether or not to appeal. "
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