Ex-President Macky Sall’s Brother Charged with Corruption and Money Laundering in Senegal

Aliou Sall, the younger brother of former Senegalese president Macky Sall, has been formally charged with money laundering, corruption, and influence peddling, his lawyer confirmed on Monday.

Sall, who had been in police custody with his wife at a Dakar police station since October 7, was granted bail on Monday evening following several days of interrogation.

“He was charged by a judge from the Financial Judicial Pool (PJF) with money laundering, criminal conspiracy to launder money, corruption, and influence peddling,” his lawyer, Ousmane Thiam, told reporters late Monday.

According to an anti-corruption unit under the Ministry of Finance, the charges stem from suspicious financial activities linked to a real estate company owned by Sall and his wife, particularly involving land acquisitions in Dakar.

This is not the first time Aliou Sall has faced corruption allegations. In 2019, he resigned as head of Senegal’s state-run savings and deposits fund after being implicated in an alleged oil and gas sector corruption scandal. That case was, however, dismissed in 2021 due to insufficient evidence.

Sall, who also served as mayor of Guediawaye, is the second close relative of the former president to face legal troubles this year.

In May 2025, Amadou Mansour Faye — Macky Sall’s brother-in-law and former Minister of Community Development — was charged with corruption and embezzlement of Covid-19 relief funds. He was later released under judicial supervision in September.

The charges come amid an intensified anti-corruption campaign by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, elected in March 2024, and his prime minister Ousmane Sonko, a longtime opponent of Macky Sall.

Both leaders have repeatedly vowed to root out corruption and hold former officials accountable for financial misconduct during the previous administration.

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