Senegalese journo trial begins

2010-09-14 19:01

Dakar - A court in Senegal on Tuesday began to try investigative reporter Abdou Latif Coulibaly, who is charged with defamation for accusing the government of corruption in a 2007 telecom deal with Sudan.

Prosecutors for Thierno Ousmane Sy, a communications advisor to President Abdoulaye Wade, argued that Coulibaly defamed the government when his weekly publication La Gazette accused officials of shady dealings.

La Gazette had said that "Senegalese in high places", "Arab lobbyists" and "American experts" shared in a "fat sum of $40m" during a sale of telephone licenses to the Sudanese telecom group Sudatel in 2007.

The weekly had also alleged that Ousmane Sy, who is the son of newly appointed Justice Minister Cheikh Tidiane Sy, was among those identified as playing a "central role in the payment of kick-backs recovered in Dubai".

Two other La Gazette reporters, Aliou Niane and Alioune Badara Coulibaly also stand trial on the same charges in the Dakar court.

The trio is defended by a five lawyers, including Frenchman William Bourdon, who is a prominent figure on the bar in Paris and launched the Sherpa association, which defends victims of crimes committed by economic operators.

- SAPA