Aly Ngouille Ndiaye has clarified that the political funds specifically allocated to Ousmane Sonko, amounting to 1.7 billion FCFA, were reportedly fully expended before Sonko requested additional budgetary support. This disclosure brings to light significant questions regarding the transparent management of these substantial sums.
Former Interior Minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye has reignited the discussion surrounding the special funds granted to high-ranking state officials. Before delving into the broader issue of presidential funds, Ndiaye asserted that Ousmane Sonko ought to first account for his stewardship of the resources made available to him during his tenure as head of government.
Tracing the history of this particular allocation, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye affirmed that the current Prime Minister holds the distinction of being the very first Senegalese head of government to receive dedicated political funds for his office. He underscored that most former Prime Ministers are still living – with the exception of Boun Abdallah Dionne – and confirmed that none of them, including Dionne and Amadou Bâ, ever had access to such a substantial financial package. Ndiaye also pointed out that Sidiki Kaba, who succeeded Sonko at the Primature, served for too brief a period for this specific financial arrangement to have been relevant 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 mentioned by Ousmane Sonko himself, yet lacking clear definition regarding its disbursement period. Some speculate it to be a quarterly amount, while others suggest it represents an annual sum. Ngouille Ndiaye highlighted that if this allocation were indeed quarterly, the total annual expenditure would escalate to approximately 8 billion FCFA.
Furthermore, the former minister reiterated previous statements made by Abdourahmane Diouf, indicating that the 1.7 billion FCFA allocation had been entirely depleted before Sonko sought any supplementary budget. For Ndiaye, the fact that Sonko’s successor at the Primature found no funds remaining serves as clear evidence that the first quarter’s funds were, in fact, fully utilized. He presented this observation as a factual statement 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 investigative commissions he personally established. He also hinted at possessing additional pertinent information on the subject, though he chose not to disclose it publicly at this juncture.