A network of five suspected forgers has been dismantled by the Pikine police station, including two English teachers and a materials accountant at the Ministry of National Education, according to exclusive information obtained by Seneweb. The case reveals an unprecedented use of artificial intelligence to counterfeit administrative documents. It is a case involving state officials, forged documents, and artificial intelligence.

The Pikine district police station dismantled a network of suspected counterfeiters by arresting five suspects, all of whom were brought before Prosecutor Saliou Dicko, head of the Pikine-Guédiawaye prosecutor's office, on Thursday. They were subsequently remanded in custody.

A complaint that traces the network back to its source

It all began with a complaint from the Secretary General of the Pikine Education and Training Inspectorate (IEF), after he discovered that a certificate of non-enrollment had been fraudulently issued by imitating his signature and official stamp. The document had been fabricated in the name of a certain S. Ndiaye, residing in Spain.

This complaint led, on March 10, 2026, to the arrest of the first two suspects: O. Diop and T. Diao. During his interrogation, T. Diao admitted to having approached his colleague I. Diallo, a 38-year-old English teacher at the Al Makhdi school in Yoff, to obtain the necessary document. Diallo stated that he had demanded 50,000 FCFA for the service, a sum he claimed to have ultimately returned when the certificate was rejected.

A chain of complicity extending to the ministry

The following day, March 11, three new suspects were arrested. When questioned, I. Diallo confirmed that he had passed the request on to his brother, ES Diallo, 40, also an English teacher, working at the Touba Diaksao school. ES Diallo confirmed the facts and revealed that he had contacted M. Guèye, 39, a materials accountant at the Ministry of National Education, residing in Pikine Icotaf. It was at this point that the case took a particularly unusual turn.

Artificial intelligence used for fraud

Summoned and questioned, Mr. Guèye, a teacher seconded to the Ministry, admitted to fabricating the document, according to the Pikine police investigation. He maintains that he did it free of charge, as a favor to a colleague with whom he shared the same school. According to his statements, after inquiring with the Directorate of Elementary Education, he learned that they no longer issue certificates of non-enrollment, according to Seneweb sources.

Faced with the urgency of the situation, as his friend in Spain risked losing his job, he reportedly proposed an alternative solution: generating the document using artificial intelligence. His method: scan an official document in his possession bearing the signature and stamp of the IEF's Secretary General, instruct the AI to remove the original text while preserving these authentication elements, and then insert the desired information.

A return to court, a decision expected Friday

Following their interrogations, the five suspects were taken into custody for forgery and use of forged administrative documents before being brought before a judge on Thursday. Their case has been referred back to the prosecutor's office.

The outcome now depends on the decision of Prosecutor Saliou Dicko: if he requests the opening of a judicial investigation on Friday, the accused will face serious charges. The Senegalese Penal Code provides for severe penalties for forgery of public documents.