[JURIST] Karim Wade, son of former Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade [BBC backgrounder], was released from prison on Friday following a presidential pardon by President Macky Sall [BBC backgrounder]. Wade, who served three years of his six-year sentence, was convicted of illegally enriching himself with at least $200 million while serving as Minister of State under his father in 2012. The conviction came after Sall took office and promised to crackdown on corruption. The court ruling had provided that Wade hid the funds in offshore accounts in both Panama and the British Virgin Islands. While in prison, Wade, who continues to deny the charges, was chosen to be the presidential candidate for the major opposition party, the Senagalese Democratic Party, in 2019. Wade was immediately flown to Qatar [Al Jazeera report] after his release.

Abdoulaye Wade served as president of Senegal from 2000-2012. Since Abdoulaye Wade exited office in 2012, a number of government officials in Senegal have been investigated for charges of illegal enrichment. Karim Wade’s imprisonment has received international attention. He refused to attend court sessions [AFP report] after one of his lawyers was expelled from a hearing, and his entire legal staff began boycotting proceedings. Karim Wade referred to himself as a political prisoner [BBC report] during his first appearance in court for the corruption charges.