The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko, addressed legal concerns raised by the creation of six parliamentary inquiry commissions during the first extraordinary session of the 2026-2027 legislative year. The session, which opened on August 10, 2026, has a strict 15-day timeframe as stipulated by Organic Law No. 2025-11 of August 18, 2025.
Sonko emphasized the legality of the commissions, citing the legal principle that parliament cannot establish inquiry panels on cases already under judicial review. « The law explicitly prohibits the National Assembly from initiating parliamentary commissions on matters currently before the courts, » he stated. To dispel any doubts, he personally consulted the Minister of Justice to verify compliance with the law.
« The Minister confirmed that out of the six proposed commissions, only one—focusing on land management near the former Dakar airport—had a related active judicial case. The remaining five commissions comply with legal requirements, » Sonko explained. This clarification follows criticism regarding the sensitivity of some of the topics under investigation, including land management, the « One Student, One Laptop » program, tax exemptions, and fishing license regulations.
The session’s agenda includes 11 items: two legislative proposals, three draft laws, and six requests for parliamentary inquiry commissions. Sonko’s remarks aim to reassure the public and lawmakers about the legitimacy of the legislative process.
