Farba Ngom's phones in prison: Lawyer Cissé accuses the Deputy Director General of the Penitentiary Administration of having conducted an "illegal" operation

The case of the cell phones found in Farba Ngom's cell at Rebeuss prison has taken a new turn. Invited to a program on Sen TV, Boubacar Cissé, the MP-mayor's lawyer, made startling revelations about the conditions under which the search operation was allegedly conducted in the special wing.

According to the lawyer, the mission was conducted directly by the recently appointed Deputy Director General of the Penitentiary Administration, through a commission established on the instructions of the Minister of Justice. Mr. Cissé asserts that the Director General of the Penitentiary Administration and the director of the special wing were not even informed of the operation beforehand. "It is nowhere written that the Deputy Director General has the prerogative to go into a prison and search inmates," the lawyer maintained.

According to his account, the commission first raided the Rebeuss prison grounds without finding anything before heading exclusively to Farba Ngom's cell. "They went directly to his cell at 1 a.m. Only Farba Ngom's cell," asserts Mr. Cissé.

The lawyer stated that two cell phones were indeed seized from the cell. However, he primarily criticized the manner in which these devices were allegedly retrieved. According to him, the phones should have been recorded in a register or placed under seal at the prison. Instead, the members of the investigation team reportedly left with the devices to analyze them.

"We were supposed to inform the prison director, record the phones and possibly place them under seal. But they left with them," he says.

Referring to the press conference of the Minister of Justice during which elements from Farba Ngom's phones were publicly mentioned, including conversations with his lawyers, Mr. Cissé does not deny having exchanged with his client, but believes that it is normal for a detainee to communicate with his counsel.

Furthermore, several sources close to the prison administration describe an operation with strong political dimensions. Some believe that this affair also targeted the Director General of the Prison Administration, whose work was recently praised by members of parliament during the vote on the Ministry of Justice's budget. Other accusations concern the conditions of the Deputy Director General's appointment and the procedure that led to the creation of the search commission.

According to these sources, the circular that served as the basis for the operation was prepared without the knowledge of the Director General of the Penitentiary Administration.

The case continues to fuel tensions within the prison administration.