DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The son of Senegal’s president is going on trial after more than a year in jail, accused of illegally amassing some $248 million.
Karim Wade served as a government minister during his father’s tenure and prosecutors have charged him with illicit enrichment.
On Thursday, Judge Henry Gregoire Diop read the allegations against Wade, who identified himself as a “banker and current political prisoner.”
Wade’s supporters say that the trial against him is part of a political vendetta being waged by President Macky Sall, who defeated Wade’s father at the polls in 2012.
Wade’s attorney Amadou Sall told reporters he will prove that the bank accounts in question have been wrongly linked to the ex-president’ son. If convicted, Wade faces up to 10 years in prison.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
