The Circle of Executives of the Republic of Values (RV) has taken a stand in the ASER–AEE Power EPC affair, denouncing a “state scandal” surrounding the disbursement of 56 million euros, or approximately 37 billion FCFA, intended for rural electrification in Senegal.

In a strongly worded statement released just weeks before the second anniversary of the transfer made on June 11, 2024, the movement claims that only 37 villages have been electrified out of the 1,740 stipulated in the contract signed between ASER and the Spanish company AEE Power EPC. June 11, 2026, will mark exactly two years since this transfer to the Spanish company. However, according to RV officials, progress remains negligible despite the significant funds invested.

The Circle of Executives of the Republic of Values points out that the contract in question was signed on February 23, 2024, between the Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency (ASER) and AEE Power EPC. Its total value amounts to 91.8 billion FCFA, or approximately 140 million euros, for a duration of 36 months.

According to the press release, authorization to disburse a 40% start-up advance was granted on March 22, 2024, by the outgoing director general of ASER under the administration of former president Macky Sall. However, the RV points out that the actual transfer of the €56 million to the company's account at Santander Bank took place on June 11, 2024, under the new authorities.

The RV Executive Circle emphasizes what it considers to be figures revealing a serious dysfunction. It notes that of the 1,740 villages planned, only 37 had actually been electrified by mid-2026, representing an implementation rate of less than 2%, while 40% of the funding had already been spent. The movement stresses that the actual cost would thus amount to more than one billion FCFA per electrified village.

In its statement, RV rejects the idea of a simple administrative or technical delay. "This is not a delay. This is not a temporary difficulty. This is an anomaly of exceptional gravity," the authors of the statement write.

The movement also targets Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, recalling that in October 2024, during a meeting at the Dakar Arena in Diamniadio, he had publicly stated that "there is no scandal in the ASER case", while presenting the agency's director general as "a model of rigor and transparency".

According to La République des Valeurs, this political statement came amidst a backdrop of numerous warnings. The press release asserts that Santander Bank had suspended disbursements for several weeks due to a lack of documentation regarding the use of funds. It also mentions a decision by ARCOP ordering the suspension of trading on the market.

The text accuses the government of prioritizing political communication over transparency. RV believes that rural populations in Kaffrine, Kédougou, Louga, Saint-Louis, and Tambacounda continue to live without electricity while "billions vanish into thin air."

The press release also refers to the press conference held by the Director General of ASER on April 1, 2026. He reportedly acknowledged that "the entire procedure was not respected during this disbursement" before announcing a complaint against his predecessor Baba Diallo, based on an audit.

For the Republic of Values (RV), this belated admission comes after "two years of denial" during which the opposition's criticisms were dismissed. The movement emphasizes that while authorization for the payment was granted under the previous regime, the actual disbursement of funds occurred under the new authorities. RV thus criticizes the new government for allowing the 56 million euros to be released without demanding, in its words, "a disbursement plan, a justification of use, or a credible delivery schedule."

The press release also states that when ASER directly questioned AEE Power Spain about the use of the funds, the company replied that "the management of its cash flow was in no way the agency's concern".

Another point raised was the opening of legal proceedings in Spain. According to RV, an investigation entitled "Diligencias Previas 140/2026" was opened on February 24, 2026, in Madrid against AEE Power EPC. RV reports that the Spanish courts had asked the company and Banco Santander to justify the use of the funds within ten days.

The movement believes that "the Spanish justice system has done in a few weeks what the Senegalese state has not wanted to do in two years," by asking the question: "Where is the money?"

At the same time, the RV executive circle criticizes the majority Pastef MPs, whom it accuses of having blocked the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the matter.

The Republic of Values also asserts that the situation on the ground remains unclear. The movement emphasizes that no comprehensive and verifiable list of electrified villages has been published to date. According to them, eighteen months after the disbursement of funds, the implementation rate should have reached at least 40%, representing approximately 600 connected villages.

Beyond the financial aspect, RV considers this affair a "revealer" of governance practices. The statement denounces, in particular, the granting of a sovereign state guarantee to a foreign company without any serious control or monitoring mechanisms. The movement also believes that the regime change has not brought about the promised break with the past in public governance. "We were promised a break. We got continuity," it writes.

In its conclusions, the Republic of Values makes several demands before June 11, 2026: the immediate publication of the complete list of electrified villages with their geographical coordinates and commissioning dates; the activation of SONAC guarantees in the event of proven failure by AEE Power EPC; the creation of an independent parliamentary commission of inquiry; public explanations from Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko regarding his past statements; and political sanctions against those responsible for managing the matter.

"The President of the Republic must draw all the necessary conclusions from the false statements made by his Prime Minister regarding the supposed absence of scandal, the alleged customs problems, and finally the admission that the project has been stalled for two years. He must also draw all the necessary conclusions from the actions of the Director General of ASER, whose communication campaign and farcical commissionings have long served to mask the reality," said RV.

The press release concludes with a direct appeal to the authorities: "Show us thirty-seven billion CFA francs worth of electricity on a map of Senegal."