Aziz Dabala case: Day of truth for Nabou Leye this Thursday

New hope is emerging for dancer Marème Leye, also known as Nabou Leye. Detained since August 2024 in connection with the double murder of dancer Abdoul Aziz Ba, known as Aziz Dabala, and his protégé Boubacar Gano, alias Wally, she will learn her fate this Thursday, August 20, 2026. According to Seneweb, the Indictment Chamber of the Dakar Court of Appeal is to rule on her request for automatic release, submitted by her lawyers.

Nabou Leye's lawyers filed their request on July 22nd with the President of the Indictment Chamber. The defense is asking the Chamber to order Nabou Leye's release, citing the exceeding of the legal time limits. Specifically, on June 22, 2026, she had submitted a request to the Senior Investigating Judge of the Pikine-Guédiawaye High Court for house arrest with electronic monitoring. However, according to the defense, the investigating magistrate had still not ruled on this request when the Indictment Chamber was seized. The lawyers also maintain that the prosecution failed to submit its requisitions within the legal timeframe.

For the lawyers, their request is all the more justified given that the DNA test results submitted to the court, they argue, corroborate their client's statements. Nabou Leye has always denied any involvement in the double murder that claimed the lives of dancers Abdoul Aziz Ba and Boubacar Gano.

The defense insists that, in its view, there is no material evidence directly establishing Nabou Leye's involvement in the events. She is charged with criminal conspiracy, complicity in murder, and acts of barbarity.

This Thursday will therefore be a day of truth for Nabou Leye. After two years of pre-trial detention, she hopes that the court will grant her request and allow her to regain her freedom.