Aly Ngouille Ndiaye’s revelations on Ousmane Sonko’s special funds spark transparency debate in Senegal
Aly Ngouille Ndiaye revealed that the 1.7 billion FCFA political fund allocated specifically to Ousmane Sonko was reportedly entirely expended before a supplementary budget was requested, prompting scrutiny over the accountability of these disbursements.
Former Interior Minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye has reignited the public discourse surrounding the special funds designated for high-ranking state officials. He asserts that Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko should first provide a detailed account of how the resources made available to him during his tenure as head of government were utilized, prior to addressing the broader issue of presidential funds.
Delving into the history of these allocations, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye emphasized that the current Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, stands as the inaugural head of government in Senegal to benefit from a distinct political fund specifically for his office. He highlighted that most former Prime Ministers, with the exception of Boun Abdallah Dionne, are still living and can confirm that none, including Dionne and Amadou Bâ, ever received such a dedicated financial package. Furthermore, he noted that Sidiki Kaba, who succeeded Sonko in the Prime Minister’s role, served for too short a period for this particular funding question to arise in his case.
The ambiguity surrounding the 1.7 billion FCFA
The former minister then addressed the persistent figure of 1.7 billion FCFA, frequently mentioned by Ousmane Sonko himself, yet without clear specification of its periodicity – whether it represents a quarterly or annual sum. Ngouille Ndiaye pointed out that if this allocation were indeed quarterly, the total annual expenditure would approximate 8 billion FCFA.
Aly Ngouille Ndiaye also reiterated previous statements made by Abdourahmane Diouf, suggesting that the 1.7 billion FCFA fund was entirely depleted before Ousmane Sonko requested additional budgetary support. For Ngouille Ndiaye, the fact that Sonko’s successor at the Prime Ministry found no funds remaining serves as clear evidence that the first quarter’s allocation had been completely utilized – an observation he presented as a factual assessment rather than an accusation.
Finally, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye asserted 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 alluded to possessing further pertinent details on the matter, choosing, however, not to disclose them publicly at this juncture.