According to the newspaper Les Echos this Monday, the much-requested file is now in the hands of Lat Diop’s lawyers. The latter do not intend to drag their feet. Convinced of the innocence of their client and convinced that there is a defect in the procedure, they will not hesitate to submit a request to the Financial Indictment Chamber for the purposes of annulment of the procedure.
After a week of chasing the file, the lawyers finally received it from the judge. The investigating magistrate gave it to them. With the sesame in hand, the black dresses will not be asked to file an appeal before the second level investigating court competent in the specific case. This should happen shortly. For a first file which they will inherit, the judges of the Financial Indictment Chamber will look into that of Lat Diop.
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The defense of the former Minister of Sports has almost finalized the request for annulment of the procedure, which will be filed before the appeal court. Lat Diop’s counsel therefore wishes to have the procedure canceled and obtain the automatic release of their client. They are convinced that, if the law is applied, their client will regain freedom. Concerning the reasons raised, the first is exceeding the hours of police custody. Indeed, according to them, there was an excess of 16 hours compared to the legal deadlines provided for by law, which in their eyes constitutes sufficient reason for cancellation. The former minister’s advice also noted a contradiction in the offenses covered.
According to the defense, the financial prosecutor should not have combined the extortion of funds of 8 billion and the embezzlement of public funds relating to the same amount. This inconsistency is considered problematic. In addition, the defense emphasizes that, until now, Lonase has not filed a complaint. According to them, Lonase never declared having suffered any damage. Regarding the 8 billion, they cannot be considered as public funds. Other arguments were also put forward to have the procedure annulled.
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Recall that Lat Diop was indicted for alleged extortion of funds amounting to 8 billion, embezzlement of public funds for the same amount, and money laundering, following a denunciation by Mohamed Dieng, boss of 1XBet, currently outside Dakar.
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