World
Ex-Senegalese President’s Son to Face Graft Trial
In this Friday, March 15, 2013 file photo, Karim Wade, center, the son of former Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, is blocked by police as he tries to approach journalists and gathered supporters outside the office of the special prosecutor investigating him on charges of embezzled funds, in Dakar, Senegal. (AP Photo/File)
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — An official says the son of Senegal’s former president will be tried for illicit enrichment following an investigation into how he amassed his multimillion-dollar fortune.
Soro Diop, an adviser to the Justice Ministry, said Thursday that Karim Wade will be tried in two months, ending speculation that the charges might be dropped.
Wade, who was a minister in the government of his father, Abdoulaye Wade, was arrested in April following a monthslong investigation into how he amassed a fortune estimated at more than $1.3 billion. He remains in detention.
Diop said the amount Wade is being accused of illegally amassing is around $700 million.
The former president was voted out of office in 2012 and several officials in his government have been charged with illicit enrichment.
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