Five years in prison with a fine of 10 million CFA francs. This is the requisition that the general prosecutor's office made on Monday against the singer Thione Ballago Seck, prosecuted for possession of monetary signs, money laundering, criminal association and fraud.

Thione Seck claimed his innocence and said he was unaware that the bag found at his home contained counterfeit notes. The singer claims to be a victim of “mysticism” in this affair.

“I give thanks to God for having been arrested because otherwise I would have been plucked to the last penny, he declared to the judge. I also know that mystically I was so affected as to hand over my 85 million.

This case, until my funeral, I will never forget. She screwed up my health, the football career of one of my sons in football”.

Thione Seck returned to the 50 million euros given to him by a promoter in Gambia as part of a service he was to make in Sweden. He declares having kept it at home, the time to contact his lawyers to regularize the contract. The Bceao , a civil party in this case, claims the symbolic franc.

The singer Thione Seck and Alaye Djité were charged on June 2, 2015 and then placed in detention. The singer was released after 8 months in pre-trial detention.

The two defendants were tried at first instance in March 2019. The Dakar Criminal Court declared the proceedings null but the prosecution appealed the decision. The Dakar Court of Appeal partly agreed with the prosecution, finding that certain subsequent acts were not invalid.

Thus, it had ordered the resumption of the proceedings but the lawyers of Thione Seck and Alaye Djite having lodged an appeal in cassation, had asked the judges of appeal to stay the proceedings. They had rejected their request.