Messrs. O. Thiam and B. Thiam are facing serious charges. Prosecuted for impersonating a public official, fraud, and extortion, they are accused of having swindled over 18 million CFA francs from clients by posing as Sonatel employees. Despite having been sentenced to three years in prison for the same offenses in 2019 in Kaolack, the young O. Thiam has apparently not learned his lesson.

After his release, he settled in Mbour. With his friend B. Thiam, they devised a plan to defraud Sonatel customers. To this end, they randomly selected landline numbers. They called subscribers, impersonating Sonatel agents, demanding payment of their subscriptions, threatening to cut off their service if they refused.

The two thieves managed to swindle dozens of victims out of an estimated 18 million CFA francs. A Sonatel customer alerted the gendarmerie. Their investigation led to the two fraudsters being located in Mbour, where they were arrested. A search of their homes uncovered credit cards, cell phones, and SIM cards that B. Thiam and O. Thiam used to call their victims. The victims stated that the defendants called them in the name of Sonatel to charge them for phone subscriptions. Charged with the fraud, the Thiams were remanded in custody.

 

In the dock of the Thiès High Court, the defendants categorically denied the accusations.

Sonatel's lawyer demanded 3 million CFA francs in damages for moral prejudice, while the defense argued a lack of evidence and requested the outright acquittal of the defendants. For his part, the public prosecutor maintained the facts were established and requested the application of the law.

The verdict is scheduled for December 2, 2025.