Financial judicial pool: A stepmother on trial for the alleged embezzlement of two kilos of gold intended for wedding jewelry

A case of breach of trust, forgery, and use of forged documents was heard this Thursday before the trial chamber of the Financial Judicial Pool, ruling on matters of flagrant offense. The plaintiff, K. Ndiaye, accuses his mother-in-law, A. Gaye, of having embezzled two kilograms of gold intended for the making of her wedding jewelry, which she values at over 110 million FCFA.

According to the investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC), following a referral from the financial prosecutor dated September 3, 2025, and after several hearings, the DIC forwarded its file to the financial prosecutor's office on October 17, 2025.

According to K. Ndiaye, a Zambian-born mining company director, her father gave her two gold ingots weighing a total of two kilograms to have jewelry made for her religious wedding, scheduled for April 2025. Living in Dubai at the time, she claims to have entrusted the two ingots to her mother-in-law, A. Gaye, who was overseeing the jewelry's production in Senegal. She says she sent her the desired designs via WhatsApp. Her father also reportedly gave her 4 million CFA francs to pay the jeweler for his labor.

K. Ndiaye recounts receiving the jewelry in Zambia two days before her wedding. To her great surprise, it did not match the ordered designs or the expected weight. Upon inspection, the jewelry weighed a total of 420 grams, far less than the two kilograms of gold initially promised.

According to her, when she questioned her mother-in-law about this difference, the latter replied that it was all that the jeweler had given her.

The complainant claims that the situation became clearer after discussions between her family and the jeweler. According to her statements, she learned that A. Gaye had sold the two kilograms of gold at a price of 55 million FCFA per kilogram, totaling 110 million FCFA.

According to his version, with this sum, his mother-in-law then bought imported jewelry weighing only 420 grams, composed in particular of 18 and 21 carat gold, while the gold given was 24 carat.

The mother-in-law's defense

When questioned by investigators, A. Gaye denied her stepdaughter's accusations. She maintains that the two gold bars were never given to her directly by K. Ndiaye, but by the latter's father, A. Ndiaye.

She also claims that the two kilograms were not exclusively intended for the bride-to-be. According to her statements, one kilogram belonged to her personally, while the second was intended for making K. Ndiaye's jewelry.

A. Gaye explains that she gave her own kilogram of gold to the jeweler O. Lam, who bought it from her. As for the kilogram intended for K. Ndiaye, she states that it was made into jewelry, and the jeweler also gave her a payment of 300,000 FCFA as well as gold dust. She adds that she gave this jewelry to her husband, A. Ndiaye, so that he could take it to their daughter in Dubai.

Finally, she maintains that K. Ndiaye never gave her direct instructions regarding the jewelry designs and that she complied with the instructions of the plaintiff's father.

Placed under a detention order on June 26, 2026, for breach of trust, forgery, and use of forged private commercial or banking documents, A. Gaye denied the charges in court. She reiterated the statements she made during the investigation. She acknowledged that the gold bars came from her husband, but maintained that they were not all intended for making her daughter's jewelry.

During the proceedings, the plaintiff, K. Ndiaye, reversed her statements, arguing that in reality, it was her father who had given the gold to the defendant.

Called as a witness, jeweller O. Lam stated that the lady had sold him one of the two kilograms of gold and had asked him to transform the other into jewelry of equivalent value.

Lawyers Borso Pouye, Aziz Djigo, and others believe the defendant is guilty of the charges against her. Counsel for the plaintiff asked the court to find her guilty. Mr. Borso Pouye requested 22 million CFA francs in damages, which he claimed represented the remaining value of the two kilograms of gold.

In his observations, the financial prosecutor concluded that the defendant was guilty of breach of trust. The prosecutor's office noted, however, that the plaintiff's statements had been inconsistent.

"During the investigation, she stated that she had given the gold to her stepmother. In court, she maintains that it was her father who gave the gold in her name and on her behalf," the prosecutor emphasized.

According to him, the defendant had an obligation to have the jewelry made. Instead of locally made jewelry, she delivered imported pieces. The prosecutor argued that the offense of breach of trust was established. A. Gaye failed in her obligation to properly present the jewelry. However, regarding the charges of forgery and use of forged documents, the prosecutor requested an acquittal before seeking a two-year suspended sentence for the breach of trust charge.

Defense lawyer El Hadji Diouf stated: "This is a woman who is a victim of her husband's actions because he is a millionaire. This procedure is intended to prevent him from going to prison in the domestic violence case, which is to be tried before the Dakar Criminal Court," he said, before requesting a complete acquittal.

Me Assane Dioma Ndiaye concurred. “Her husband had threatened her, saying: ‘I have divorced 12 women. You are the only one to subject me to this affront. I will make you suffer worse than what you have made me suffer’,” revealed Me Ndiaye, who believes it is a settling of scores.

Mr. Ndiaye also requested provisional release. The prosecution deferred to the court's judgment, which rejected the request. The case was adjourned for deliberation until August 6, 2026.