The revelations of The Observer highlight a new gray area in the management of public funds in Senegal. An explosive investigation by the National Financial Information Processing Unit (Centif) reveals possible misappropriations around 29.8 billion FCFAtransferred to the company Swiss Real Estate Group (GIS). These funds, supposed to be intended for specific projects, seem to have taken a murky route, supplying unexpected beneficiaries.
Colossal transfers and a mysterious distribution
According to The Observerthe 8th Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) n°DSB12210327, dated November 23, 2021 and transmitted by Ecobank, details four transfers made between February and August 2020, for a total amount of 29,832,667,000 FCFA. These sums, initially intended for GIS by the Senegalese State, would not have been used directly by the company.
The investigation reveals that these funds passed through the GIS account before being redistributed via bank transfers, cashed checks or even cash payments. Among the identified beneficiaries are Serigne Khadim Niangthe offices SCP Tounkara and Associates, SCP Diop et Diopas well as the company Calypso.
An opacity that fuels questions
What intrigues the investigators, underlines The Observerit is the absence of apparent links between GIS and these beneficiaries. Why would these public funds have passed through the Swiss Real Estate Group and then been redistributed to entities with no known connection to the company’s activities?
Centif suspects a sophisticated ploy to conceal the true recipients and purposes of these transfers. The reliance on cashed checks and cash payments further complicates the tracing of funds.
The actors in question
Among the beneficiaries, the name of Serigne Khadim Niang particularly attracts the attention of investigators. Although its precise role in this affair remains unclear, its involvement raises doubts about the nature of the links between GIS and the other entities cited. For their part, the SCP Tounkara and Diop firms could also be subject to in-depth verification regarding their role in these transactions.
As for the Calypso company, its connection with GIS or with the projects initially financed by the State remains an enigma.
An investigation that shakes institutions
These revelations come on top of a series of financial scandals shaking Senegalese institutions. If the involvement of GIS is proven, this affair could call into question the management of public funds and the transparency of financial circuits between the State and its private partners.
For the moment, no legal action has been formally initiated, but the Centif investigation, relayed by The Observerputs pressure on the authorities to elucidate this matter.
The country awaits answers
This new revelation sheds harsh light on the shortcomings of financial control mechanisms. The whole of Senegal is wondering: who are the real beneficiaries of these billions? And for what purpose were these public funds redirected?
A case to follow closely, as justice struggles to shed light on these suspicious transactions which continue to tarnish public confidence in institutions.
