Aly Ngouille Ndiaye sheds light on Ousmane Sonko’s special funds

Former Interior Minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye has reignited the national discussion surrounding special funds allocated to high-ranking state officials. Before delving into the specifics of presidential funds, Ndiaye asserted that Ousmane Sonko must first provide a comprehensive account of how he utilized the resources made available to him during his tenure as head of government.

Tracing the history of this particular endowment, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye stated that the current Prime Minister stands as the inaugural head of the Senegalese government to benefit from dedicated political funds associated with his office. He underscored that the majority of past Prime Ministers remain alive today — with the exception of Boun Abdallah Dionne — and affirmed that none, including Dionne or Amadou Bâ, ever received such a distinct financial package. Ndiaye further noted that Sidiki Kaba, who succeeded Sonko in the Prime Minister’s office, served for too brief a period for this specific financial provision to have been a factor in his case.

The 1.7 billion FCFA: Unanswered questions

The former minister then turned his attention to the precise figure of 1.7 billion FCFA, a sum frequently cited by Ousmane Sonko himself, yet whose exact periodicity remains ambiguous. While some suggest this amount is allocated quarterly, others believe it represents an annual total. Ngouille Ndiaye emphasized that if this allocation is indeed disbursed every three months, the cumulative annual sum would approach approximately 8 billion FCFA.

Aly Ngouille Ndiaye also reiterated previous statements made by Abdourahmane Diouf, suggesting that the initial 1.7 billion FCFA allocation was entirely depleted before Ousmane Sonko requested supplementary funds. For Ndiaye, the fact that Sonko’s successor found no available funds serves as clear evidence that the first quarter’s allocation had been fully utilized. He presented this observation as a factual statement rather than an accusation.

Finally, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye maintained 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. Ndiaye also hinted at possessing additional pertinent information on the matter, choosing not to disclose it publicly at this juncture.