Guédiawaye: The saleswoman embezzles 18 million FCFA to boost her fiancé's business before their wedding

In Guédiawaye, a money transfer agent is accused of embezzling millions of CFA francs from her employer's accounts to give to her partner, who later became her husband. L'Observateur, which attended the hearing, reports that the owner, E. Sy, discovered a shortfall of over 20 million CFA francs in her accounts upon returning from sick leave. Confronted with the evidence, F. Ndao confessed, admitting to regularly withdrawing money from the shop's funds, "particularly through Wave." She claims to have given 14 million to her partner. However, the case file cites a loss of 18 million, while the plaintiff estimates the total deficit at over 20 million CFA francs, according to the same source.

F. Ndao also explained that he had given "7 million to a person who was supposed to send his sister to the United States" and "4 million to a client in the form of a loan", also mentioning "scams" and "loan transactions that went wrong".

In court, T. Baldé, a 39-year-old mechanic, admitted to receiving money knowing that "the funds did not belong to him." Quoted by the newspaper of the Groupe Futurs Médias, he explained that he had "used some of the money in his business activities," adding that some people to whom he had given funds had "not reimbursed him."

The defense contested the charge of conspiracy and the theft against the employer, arguing instead that it was breach of trust. In an attempt to defuse the conflict, they paid 3.5 million to the plaintiff, while T. Baldé promised to "sell an orchard and a vehicle" to contribute to the repayment.

The court ultimately found F. Ndao guilty of breach of trust and T. Baldé guilty of complicity. The couple were sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to jointly pay 20 million in damages to the victim, concludes L'Observateur.