Aly Ngouille Ndiaye has articulated concerns regarding Ousmane Sonko’s dedicated political funds, totaling 1.7 billion FCFA. He indicated that this allocation was reportedly fully expended before Sonko requested additional budgetary resources, thereby raising significant questions about the transparency and oversight of these expenditures.
The former Minister of Interior, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye, has reignited discussions surrounding the special funds granted to high-ranking state officials. Before delving into presidential funds, Ndiaye emphasized that Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko should first account for his utilization of resources made available to him during his tenure as head of government.
Recounting the historical context of this allocation, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye asserted that the current Prime Minister is the first head of the Senegalese government to benefit from political funds specifically designated for his office. He highlighted that most former Prime Ministers are still living – with the exception of Boun Abdallah Dionne – and confirmed that neither Dionne nor Amadou Bâ ever received such an endowment. Ndiaye also noted that Sidiki Kaba, who succeeded Sonko at the Primature, served for too brief a period for this issue to arise in his case.
The ambiguity surrounding the 1.7 billion FCFA
The former minister then addressed the figure of 1.7 billion FCFA, a sum frequently cited by Ousmane Sonko himself, yet without clear establishment of its periodicity. While some speculate it is a quarterly amount, others suggest it is an annual total. Ngouille Ndiaye pointed out that if this allocation were indeed quarterly, the annual sum would then approximate 8 billion FCFA.
Furthermore, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye corroborated earlier statements made by Abdourahmane Diouf, suggesting that the 1.7 billion FCFA allocation had been entirely spent before Sonko sought a supplementary budget. For Ndiaye, the fact that Sonko’s successor at the Primature found no available funds serves as evidence that the first quarter’s allocation was indeed fully utilized – a conclusion he presents as a factual observation rather than an accusation.
Aly Ngouille Ndiaye concluded by stating that, in the interest of consistency and transparency, Ousmane Sonko should have incorporated his own management of special funds into the scope of the inquiry commissions he himself established. He also hinted at possessing additional information on the matter, choosing not to disclose it publicly at this juncture.
