Ousmane Sonko refutes Abdourahmane Diouf's claim on political funds, states allocation is annual
Ousmane Sonko, President of the National Assembly, has strongly denied claims by Dr. Abdourahmane Diouf regarding the frequency of special funds allocated to the Prime Minister's office. Sonko stated on Sunday that these funds are received annually, not quarterly or semi-annually, as Diouf suggested on RS1. Sonko clarified that the political fund amounts to 1.7 billion, which is an annual allocation, dismissing Diouf's assertion as "intoxication." He added that he would not pursue legal action to avoid creating a "buzz." The controversy began in late July when Abdourahmane Diouf claimed on RS1 that Sonko had requested an extension of his political funds after exhausting his allocation, without specifying if the request was granted or his source. The amount in question, 1.77 billion CFA francs, was previously disclosed by Sonko himself to deputies on May 22, shortly before his dismissal from the Prime Minister's office. The debate over whether this amount is annual or quarterly has since fueled political discussion in Senegal. Former minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye highlighted the uncertainty, noting that a quarterly allocation would total approximately 8 billion FCFA annually. Babacar Ba of the Forum du Justiciable has called for official clarification from Minister Diouf on this "crucial" matter. The practice of discretionary funds at the Prime Minister's office is not new, dating back to Abdou Diouf, and continued under Abdoulaye Wade and Macky Sall, with no legal requirement
