Senegal’s President Exempts Himself from New Anti-Corruption Rules

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has expanded the country’s asset declaration law to cover more public officials and lower reporting thresholds but exempted himself from the new rules, sparking opposition criticism. The move comes amid a crackdown on alleged corruption in the previous administration, which left the country with hidden debt and a downgraded credit rating.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has pledged to restore financial accountability within the Senegalese government after his predecessor left billions of dollars in undisclosed debt. However, despite this commitment, Faye himself will not be subject to the country’s new transparency law.

The government has introduced an amendment to expand the scope of the 2014 asset declaration law, which governs the disclosure of assets by high-ranking public officials. Under the proposed changes, public prosecutors, investigating judges, local government officials, auditors, and directors of state-owned companies will be required to declare their assets both at the start and end of their terms in office.

Previously, the law applied only to certain senior officials, including the President of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister, ministers, and public accountants responsible for managing more than 1 billion CFA francs (€1.5 million). The new bill, if approved by the National Assembly on August 18, 2025, will lower the reporting threshold for public budget managers from 1 billion to 500 million CFA francs (€760,000).

Opposition leaders have criticized the proposal for exempting President Faye from the declaration requirements. “It is the first condition of transparency that the President of the Republic is subject to these requirements,” said Doudou Wade of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), speaking to RFI.

Amadou Ba, a member of parliament from the ruling party, defended the exemption, noting that the Constitution mandates the President to declare assets only at the beginning of his term. He argued that constitutional provisions take precedence over other laws. “This goes beyond the hierarchy of norms and constitutes a special law of exception,” Ba wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.

Senegal was thrust into a debt crisis earlier this year when a February 2024 public audit revealed that the previous administration, under President Macky Sall, had significantly understated budget deficits. This adjustment pushed the nation’s debt ratio at the end of 2023 to nearly 100 percent of GDP, compared to the earlier reported figure of 74 percent.

The discovery prompted the International Monetary Fund to suspend disbursements under its program with Senegal and led to a downgrade of the country’s credit rating to B minus. Since taking office, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has taken a tough stance against alleged corruption within the former administration, resulting in the arrest of five former ministers. Most recently, Amadou Mansour Faye, the brother-in-law of former President Macky Sall and former Minister of Community Development, was charged with embezzling more than $4.6 million in public funds.