Digital identity theft: Three fake marabouts face 3 years in prison

They impersonated famous traditional healers and used their reputations to lure customers on TikTok and sell medications. Serigne Modou Abdoulaye Ndiaye, Abdou Bakh Mbaye, and Mame Mor Sèye appeared this Friday before the Pikine-Guédiawaye court for flagrant offenses. They face up to three years in prison. The trio is being prosecuted for conspiracy, fraud, quackery, endangering the lives of others, and digital identity theft.

According to the facts presented at the hearing, the defendants impersonated well-known traditional healers, notably Abdoulaye Diop, known as "Diop Khass," and Serigne Fallou Ndiaye Rakhma, to sell medicines on the social media platform TikTok. The plaintiffs are Momath Niass, Mamadou Diallo, Souhaibou Mané, Serigne Fallou Ndiaye Rakhma, and Abdoulaye Diop, known as "Diop Khass."

The Keur Massar investigation unit had arrested the suspects. But no complainant appeared at the hearing.

In court, the defendants denied the accusations. They unanimously maintained that they had only published the videos of the "healers" to promote them. This line of defense failed to convince the public prosecutor.

In his submissions, the prosecutor stated that the facts were consistent, before requesting three years of imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 CFA francs.

Defense attorney Bachir Lo denounced what he considered an inconsistency in the prosecution. He questioned why his clients were being prosecuted while the traditional healers whose videos they used, notably Diop Khass and Serigne Fallou Ndiaye Rakhma, also practiced in the same field. "If these three individuals must be prosecuted, there must be a balance," he argued, pleading for acquittal on the other charges. Regarding the charge of quackery, he deferred to the court's judgment.

The verdict will be delivered on October 21st.