A controversy is rocking the Senegalese pharmaceutical sector following the explosive revelations of MP Guy Marius Sagna. In a written question addressed to the Minister of Health, the parliamentarian implicates Dr. Alioune Ibnou Abitalib Diouf, current Director General of the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (ARP), accusing him of having been disciplined for illegal practices related to drug trafficking. He also calls for the annulment of the decree appointing the latter, arguing that the President of the Republic did not have all the necessary information at the time of his appointment in July 2024.

According to Guy Marius Sagna, Dr. Diouf was reportedly reported by the Senegalese Order of Pharmacists for suspected drug trafficking involving four pharmacies located in Touba and Mbacké, including that of El Hadj Mouhamadou Lamine Bara Fallilou Mbacké, which he allegedly owns. During an inspection, serious irregularities were reportedly noted. The MP claims that large quantities of medications, including Cardiurine, Irex syrup, and Verzol tablets, ordered by Dr. Diouf's pharmacy, were not found on site. The explanations provided by the latter—namely, that these products were delivered to religious leaders or exchanged with a pharmacy in Rufisque—were deemed insufficient and illegal by the inspectors.

The MP goes further, revealing that these practices allegedly led to the submission of a report to the Order of Pharmacists, followed by proceedings before the Disciplinary Council. The latter reportedly imposed a sanction on Dr. Diouf for failure to comply with the rules governing the practice of the profession, including the failure to renew his annual registration with the Order, a legal obligation for all practicing pharmacists. "The Director General of the ARP is subject to a disciplinary sanction for drug trafficking," Guy Marius Sagna insists in his letter.

Appointed in July 2024 to head the ARP, a key institution regulating the pharmaceutical sector in Senegal, Dr. Alioune Ibnou Abitalib Diouf now finds himself in turmoil. The MP maintains that this appointment, decided by presidential decree, was marred by a lack of transparency regarding the pharmacist's past. "It seems to me that the President of the Republic did not have all the information at the time of his appointment," he writes, calling for the immediate repeal of the decree.

In addition to these accusations about his past, Guy Marius Sagna also points the finger at Dr. Diouf's current management at the head of the ARP, describing some of his actions as "problematic" without specifying their nature in his written question. This new round of criticism comes at a time when the ARP plays a strategic role in implementing the pharmaceutical sovereignty policy advocated by the Senegalese authorities.