KR Seck, A. Faye, D. Diouf, M. Mar, and K. Sarr were tried last Friday before the Dakar Magistrates' Court for theft, complicity, and receiving stolen goods. They were brought to trial by François Cabo, who accused them of stealing and scrapping his taxi. The vehicle had broken down and was parked. On Saturday, February 14, he noticed it was missing. During his investigation, witnesses told him that individuals had towed his car to an unknown location. Luckily for him, nearby surveillance cameras captured everything: four men can be seen working around the taxi before towing it away.

According to Les Échos, which attended the hearing, the plaintiff was able, thanks to the video footage, to identify the license plate of the taxi used to tow the broken-down car. Armed with this information, François Cabo filed a complaint. The suspected driver was thus identified and arrested. He was K. Sarr. "When questioned," the newspaper recounts, "he admitted to towing the stolen taxi for 15,000 CFA francs. However, he swore he was unaware of the circumstances surrounding the theft of the car."

Les Échos reports that K. Sarr specified that the sheet metal worker M. Amar put him in contact with the scrap dealers A. Faye and D. Diouf, who asked him to transport the car to a mechanic's garage located near the RTS headquarters.

When questioned, Amar confirmed K. Sarr's statements, which led to the arrest of the two scrap metal dealers.

When questioned by investigators, as detailed by Les Échos, A. Faye and D. Diouf stated that the taxi had been sold to them by KR Seck. "I didn't know the vehicle didn't belong to him," Faye swore. "After the purchase, I drove the vehicle to the workshop located near the RTS where I work. The vehicle was in our possession for two days before we dismantled it for scrap." His accomplice agreed.

KR Seck is a municipal councilor in Grand-Dakar. He admitted to the facts, specifying that he had sold the car for 170,000 CFA francs, "without a bill of sale or receipt".

The plaintiff informed the court that he had purchased his taxi for 2.5 million in 2018. He is claiming 3.8 million in damages. The prosecutor requested the acquittal of the panel beater, Mr. Amar, and the truck driver, K. Sarr. The chief prosecutor requested that the others be found guilty and sentenced to prison terms: six months for KR Seck and three months for the receivers of stolen goods, A. Faye and D. Diouf.

For Sarr and Amar, the judge sided with the prosecutor. For the others, he agreed, but only partially: KR Seck received a three-month prison sentence, and the receivers of stolen goods, one month each. The trio was also ordered to pay the plaintiff 2.5 million CFA francs jointly and severally.