Senegal: Already in custody, Ass Dione presented to the prosecutor in a new procedure
The Senegalese religious singer Ass Dione, already detained since the end of March in a first judicial case, was taken out of prison to be heard in a new alleged visa fraud case. Two complainants accuse him of receiving 2.3 million CFA francs for a travel project to the United States via Nicaragua, without any of the procedures being completed.
The religious singer Ass Dione, known by his stage name Ass Khassida, who has been under remand since March 31, 2026, was taken out of the Rebeuss prison on Wednesday, May 20, to be heard in a separate procedure. Two complainants accuse him of having collected 2.3 million CFA francs in exchange for procedures for a trip to the United States via Nicaragua, without the project materializing. Ass Dione was presented on Friday, May 22, to the Public Prosecutor Saliou Dicko, head of the Pikine-Guédiawaye court.
The new procedure was initiated following a submission from the Pikine-Guédiawaye prosecutor’s office to the commander of the Research Brigade in Keur Massar. The charges date back to 2023, when the two complainants handed over the funds to the accused, who is presented by several Senegalese media as the alleged manager of a travel agency. According to consistent information published by Libération, Seneweb, and Xalima, Ass Dione allegedly admitted to the facts before investigators and proposed a staggered refund.
The accused is a well-known figure in the Mouride community, where he has interpreted religious songs, called khassidas, for many years. His initial arrest on March 28, 2026, had sent shockwaves through public opinion in Senegal.
The first case investigated since March 31
Ass Dione was arrested on March 28, 2026, by the Keur Massar Research Brigade as the 52nd accused in the case known as “Pape Cheikh Diallo and others,” which has been opened by the Pikine-Guédiawaye High Court since February 2026. He was charged on March 31 with conspiracy and acts against nature—terms used in the Senegalese Penal Code for homosexual relations—before being placed under remand by the investigating judge of the first chamber.
Five other people involved in the investigation related to Ass Dione were also brought before the same investigating judge on May 15, 2026. The accused include a stylist, a businessman, a student, and two traders, whose names were published by Senego. They have been charged with conspiracy and acts against nature and were placed under remand.
The Pape Cheikh Diallo case, which includes charges of conspiracy, acts against nature, intentional HIV transmission, and drug use, had reached 94 arrests by May 12, 2026, according to Senenews.
The legal framework and ongoing procedure
Article 319 of the Senegalese Penal Code punishes homosexual relations between consenting adults with one to five years in prison. It is on this basis that the majority of the accused in the Pape Cheikh Diallo case were charged. Ass Dione’s defense had, as of May 22, not publicly commented on the facts in either of the two cases.
The Pikine-Guédiawaye prosecutor’s office was to decide on Friday about the follow-up to the second procedure—the one linked to the visa fraud—following Ass Dione’s presentation to Prosecutor Saliou Dicko. The outcome of this presentation conditions the possibility of a second remand in this separate case.