Senegal authorities arrest lawyer in Karim Wade corruption case

[JURIST] Authorities in the Republic of Senegal [official website, in French] arrested Amadou Sall on Monday, a lawyer for ex-government official Karim Wade who is facing corruption charges. It is believed Sall was arrested [AP report] for remarks he made at a recent political event. Wade is awaiting a verdict on charges of corruption [JURIST report] and embezzlement of approximately USD $238 million. The verdict is scheduled for March 23.

Karim Wade is the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade, who served as president of Senegal from 2000-2012. Since Abdoulaye Wade exited office in 2012, a number of government officials in Senegal have been investigated for charges of illegal enrichment. Karim Wade served as minister for infrastructure, international co-operation, energy and air transportation from 2000-2012. Wade’s imprisonment has received international attention. For almost a week, Wade has refused to attend court sessions [ Daily Nation report] after one of his attorneys was expelled from the hearing and Wade’s entire legal staff began abstaining from court. Last year Wade referred [BBC report] to himself as a political prisoner during his first appearance in court for the corruption charges.