Senegalese opponent Ousmane Sonko was sentenced Monday to 6 months in prison suspended during an appeal trial for defamation. He was also fined 200 million CFA francs (300,000 euros) in damages to the plaintiff, Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang.
The stakes of the trial go far beyond the reputation of the minister who considered himself defamed by the opponent. The texts in force provide for removal from the electoral rolls, and therefore ineligibility, in certain cases of conviction.