Ouagadougou court upholds detention of woman in forged signature case

The Dakar Criminal Court has deferred its verdict in the forgery case involving Khardiata Tandian, accused of falsifying the signature of former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. The judgment, initially scheduled for July 9, 2026, was postponed due to the absence of Cherif Zeyni Abidin Sy, identified as the alleged accomplice in the case.

In a separate ruling, the court denied Khardiata Tandian‘s request for provisional release. Her legal team argued that she met all criteria for bail, citing her prolonged pre-trial detention of over a year, her married status, and her role as a mother to a young child. They also emphasized that the time already served could potentially cover any eventual sentence, warning that further incarceration would severely disrupt her social standing.

The prosecution strongly contested the bail request, asserting that releasing Khardiata Tandian would pose a risk to public order and that she did not provide sufficient guarantees to ensure her presence during trial proceedings. Despite the defense’s counterargument that no witness intimidation risks existed—given that the accused had already testified—the court sided with the public prosecutor’s objections. As a result, Khardiata Tandian remains in custody pending the case’s resolution.