Sierra Leone president pardons jailed mayor

By Alpha Kamara,

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AA) - The former mayor of Senegal’s capital Dakar was pardoned by President Macky Sall in a decree issued Sunday.

The move comes after a meeting between the president and top religious leaders in the country.

In a presidential decree, Khalifa Sall -- no relation to the president -- and three other opposition figures were pardoned on grounds of goodwill.

“The interest of Senegal is bigger than all of us,” the president was quoted as saying by online local media Galsen.com.

Khalifa Sall was sentenced to five years for corruption, a ruling that disqualified him from contesting for president in the last election.

The court also ordered him, alongside three others, to pay 1.8 billion CFA francs ($2.8 million).

Khalifa Sall’s supporters at the time condemned the charges as politically motivated.

President Sall has also recently reconciled with another opposition leader, former President Abdoulaye Wade.