High Court of Justice: Sophie Gladima's trial threatened by a procedural incident

Following former Justice Minister Ismaïla Madior Fall, it is now the turn of former Petroleum and Energy Minister Aïssatou Sophie Gladima to appear before the High Court of Justice. By an order signed on July 7 by the First President of the Supreme Court, Mahamadou Mansour Mbaye, the opening of her substantive trial has been set for Wednesday, July 22.

Why might his trial be postponed?

From the outset of the hearing, a postponement of the proceedings was widely anticipated. According to information obtained by L'Observateur, this request was expected to be made by the former minister's legal team, citing the need to respect the rights of the defense and the principle of adversarial proceedings. The lawyers wish to have the necessary time and resources to effectively prepare their defense.

The procedural incident in question

The crux of this first day of hearings hinges on a procedural issue raised by the same source. The High Court of Justice reportedly sent the pleadings file to only one lawyer, whereas Ms. Gladima is represented by a team of several counsel. The decision now rests with the presiding judge, who must decide whether to grant the adjournment requested by the defense or to proceed with the hearing.

Aïssatou Sophie Gladima is being prosecuted for criminal conspiracy, embezzlement of public funds, fraud involving public funds, money laundering, and complicity. She received a partial dismissal on January 7th, but the Investigating Commission referred her to the High Court of Justice to answer several charges.

The case rests primarily on a report from the Court of Auditors and on statements from her former Director of General Administration and Equipment (DAGE), Alassane Diallo. The former minister is accused of paying 73.2 million CFA francs to the commercial company of the Issa Group for the construction of a gravimetric treatment unit in Kédougou, even though the work had not yet begun. The prosecution alleges that this payment was made in violation of public accounting rules.

Placed under a detention order in May 2025, as reported by the Groupe Futurs Médias newspaper, the former Minister of Petroleum was released in July 2025 after being questioned by the Investigating Committee, before being placed under electronic surveillance. Since the beginning of the proceedings, Aïssatou Sophie Gladima has rejected the accusations against her and proclaimed her innocence.