The Thiès court of summary jurisdiction has delivered its verdict in the case of scrap metal theft from the CIMAF company, involving scrap metal dealer SF Fall and Mr. Ndiaye, an employee of the company. Lacking sufficient evidence to convict, the judge acquitted the defendants due to reasonable doubt and dismissed all of the civil party's claims.

The case was heard on Friday, April 24, 2026. According to the investigation, SF Fall was suspected of having fraudulently loaded several tons of scrap metal onto the company's site, with the alleged complicity of Mr. Ndiaye, a weighbridge operator. The charges stemmed in particular from the issuance of an initially erroneous delivery slip, listing wood instead of scrap metal, before a subsequent correction by the operator in question. This situation raised suspicions within management, which stated that it had observed similar irregularities in the past. The gendarmerie, having been notified, arrested the two men, who were then released on bail pending their court appearance.

In court, the two defendants firmly denied the charges. Scrap metal dealer SF Fall stated that he had regularly purchased the scrap metal and paid CIMAF's accounting department an amount corresponding to the 19.5 tons recorded during weighing. He maintained that the error on the delivery slip was solely the fault of the weighbridge operator and that he had not noticed it at the time.

For his part, Mr. Ndiaye acknowledged a misunderstanding regarding the nature of the shipment, explaining that he initially believed it was timber before correcting the document once informed. He also emphasized that he had not been notified in advance by his superiors of the exact nature of the shipment and that another company employee was present during the operation.

The defense argued that no offense of theft or complicity had been committed, instead pointing to an internal dysfunction within the CIMAF organization. The lawyers emphasized that the amount of scrap metal found in the truck corresponded to the amount paid into the accounts by SF Fall. For his part, the lawyer for the plaintiff maintained that the acts were deliberate and well-established, demanding 90 million FCFA in damages. The public prosecutor had requested a three-month suspended sentence. In rendering its acquittal, the court ultimately determined that proof of criminal intent had not been established.