In Thiès, residents of the Lamy district mobilized this Sunday to denounce the preventive detention of Maodo Malick Mbaye, placed under arrest warrant on July 22, 2025 for an alleged embezzlement of 600 million CFA francs at the General Directorate of the National Agency for the House of Tools (ANAMO).

Gathered in all their components, the inhabitants of Maodo Malick Mbaye's stronghold expressed their incomprehension at the legal situation of the one they nickname "3M".

According to them, no official report from Senegalese state oversight bodies has implicated the former director general of ANAMO. The protesters claim that the prosecution is linked to an audit commissioned by his successor at the head of ANAMO, conducted by a private firm, and of which Maodo Malick Mbaye was not informed.

According to the protesters, it was this new director general who filed a complaint against his predecessor, a move they describe as unprecedented in the country's institutional history.

Residents of the Lamy district also point out that among the country's many general and national directors, only Maodo Malick Mbaye is in prison.

They point out that he has always maintained his innocence, arguing that the case file contains no evidence of embezzlement or misappropriation of public funds. They also note that Maodo Malick Mbaye has still not been questioned on the substance of the case since his return from Morocco, where he was at the time of his court summons.

They also discussed the decision by the indictment chamber to overturn the provisional release order granted to him by the investigating judge, following an appeal by the prosecution.

According to the protesters, a medical examination had concluded that his state of health was incompatible with detention. They also claim that the chief medical officer of the prison administration had indicated that no suitable cell existed anywhere in the country to provide him with the necessary care.

Finally, these protesters mention a possible indirect link between the detention of Maodo Malick Mbaye and the involvement of his nephew Sidy Ahmed Mbaye in the case opposing Adji Sarr to Ousmane Sonko.

For them, Maodo Malick Mbaye's situation symbolizes what they consider an injustice. They call on the judicial authorities to shed full light on this case while respecting the rights of the accused.