Ousmane Sonko, a Senegalese opposition leader running for president in 2024, was found not guilty of the accusation of rape but was sentenced to two years in prison on the charge of “corrupting young people” on Thursday.
Ndèye Khady Ndiaye, the proprietor of the beauty parlour where Mr. Sonko was charged with repeatedly abusing a female employee, was also given a two-year prison term by the criminal division.
According to a lawyer present at the court, Ousmane Thiam, “corruption of youth”—defined as engaging in sexual activity with a person under the age of 21—is a criminal in Senegal and not a crime like rape.
If Mr. Sonko had been found guilty of a crime like rape in absentia, his ability to vote would have been taken away.
However, the threat of Mr. Sonko’s ineligibility and his ability to run for president in 2024 appears to remain despite the offence’s categorization as a misdemeanor under the electoral code.
