Senegal’s President Macky Sall has pardoned former Dakar mayor and political rival Khalifa Sall, who had been sentenced to prison for fraudulent use of public funds, the presidency announced on Sunday.
Khalifa Sall, no relation of the president, has been in jail since March 2017 and was sentenced to five years in prison in August 2018.
He was therefore barred from taking part in the presidential election in February.
Khalifa Sall emerged from prison a few hours after the pardon was announced to be greeted by a crowd of supporters.
Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, witnesses.