This is a procedure initiated by the Financial Judicial Pool (PJF). The accusation concerns alleged embezzlement during Lat Diop’s time at LONASE. Summoned to the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC), Lat Diop was heard after accusations were made against him by the former administrator of 1XBet Senegal, Mouhamed Dieng. Assisted by his pool of lawyers consisting of Mes Souleymane Diagne, El Hadji Diouf, Cheikh Amadou Ndiaye and Alioune Badara Fall, the former Minister of Sports faced the men of Commissioner Baïty Sène for more than 10 hours.
“No control body has pinned me down…”
According to authorized sources, the questions revolved around a sum of 7 billion CFA francs that Mr. Dieng claims to have given to Lat Diop when he was CEO of LONASE. When heard, Lat Diop contested these accusations. “If I was embezzling, there would be a report from a control body that would have pinned me down.” The accused, however, acknowledges having received the sum of 5 million CFA francs from 1XBet on behalf of Guèdiawaye Football Club. 1XBet is the official sponsor of the football club that he owns, he said.
Investigators then confronted him with the WhatsApp discussions that Mouhamed Dieng had made available to them as well as other documents. But Lat Diop maintained his line of defense.
On money laundering
Returning to the charge, the police investigators put on the table statements by Mouhamed Dieng, reporting the acquisition of a building in Grenoble (in France) by Lat Diop. “I do not have a building in France. I have never been to Grenoble,” retorted Lat Diop.
According to our sources, the Jérôme Bandiaky, known as Sniper, case was not mentioned during the hearing.
At the end of the investigation, Lat Diop will be brought before the financial public prosecutor. He is being prosecuted for embezzlement of public funds and money laundering.
“An attempt at liquidation…”
For one of his lawyers, Alioune Badara Fall, the story was fabricated. “It’s a great disappointment! We thought that with this regime, we would have a break on prosecutions. But it is clear that they started off in the worst possible way. They accused the former regime of attempting to liquidate a political opponent. But today, they are prosecuting a person for embezzlement of public funds without any proof,” castigated Fall.
