“On the practice of instruction in Senegal”: Meguèye Sèye dissects the secrets of judicial investigation

In the corridors of the courts, the same questions keep coming up: where is the case? Why does the detention last? What does the investigating judge actually decide? Through “On the practice of education in Senegal”, Me Guèye Sèye provides clear and methodical answers. In a work that is both rigorous and accessible, the young clerk plunges the reader into the heart of a decisive phase of criminal procedure, still largely unknown to the general public.

ZIGUINCHOR – In the often opaque world of criminal justice, there are few works capable of enlightening the ordinary citizen while maintaining a solid scientific standard. With “On the practice of instruction in Senegal”, Meguèye Sèye takes up this challenge brilliantly. Prefaced by the Attorney General at the Ziguinchor Court of Appeal, Saliou Mbaye, this work of more than 150 pages explores in detail the mechanisms of the preparatory investigation, an essential stage of judicial information.

Holder of a Master 2 in law and administration of local authorities obtained at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar and a native of Ndiaganiao, in the Thiès region, the author belongs to this new generation of legal practitioners concerned with bringing justice closer to litigants. Trained at the Judicial Training Center, he joined the high court in 2023 where he manages the investigation office as clerk. A professional immersion which greatly nourishes the depth of his analysis.

“I chose to write about this issue because it remains little known to the public. Every day, litigants travel through the courts with questions about their cases or the situation of detained relatives. It is this observation that pushed me to share this modest experience,” he confides to Le Soleil.

The work published in 2026 is distinguished by its educational approach. Far from inaccessible jargon, Me Sèye deciphers the powers of the investigating judge, the guarantees granted to the defense and the multiple stages which structure the procedure. At the same time, it methodically explains the conditions for opening judicial information, cases of referral to the investigating magistrate, possible orders, the hearing of witnesses, interrogations as well as the control of the regularity of acts until the final transmission of the file.

From the first pages, Meguèye Sèye gives a special place to those we rarely hear from: temporary detainees. A strong dedication, nourished by field experience. “I wanted to pay tribute to the temporary detainees in the investigation rooms, because they are the first to be affected by this problem. Many expect rapid progress in their case. Others endure long detentions or hope, with patience and faith, for their judgment after notification of the referral order. They go through difficult times and uncertainty, but often with dignity and honor,” he emphasizes.

This human sensitivity gives the book a particular scope. Because, beyond procedures and texts, judicial investigation involves lives, freedoms and sometimes destinies suspended in a decision.

On page 65, Me Sèye recalls the obligatory nature of the preparatory investigation in criminal matters. He explains that the seriousness of certain offenses requires gathering as much information as possible on the alleged facts as well as on the personality of the person accused. A requirement intended to illuminate the manifestation of truth.

“In reality, with regard to complaints with the constitution of a civil party, it is the master of prosecutions who refers the case to the investigating judge. In criminal matters, this referral is mandatory. In tort matters, it falls within its discretion, while in contravention matters, it remains exceptional. The investigating judge, however, has mechanisms allowing him to refuse the opening of information, under the possible control of the indictment chamber,” explains Me Sèye.

In charge of tutorials (TD) in the public law department of the Assane Seck University of Ziguinchor, Meguèye Sèye thus signs much more than a simple legal manual. In On the Practice of Instruction in Senegal, he delivers a useful, lively and documented work. The technicality of the law meets the human realities of the courtrooms. This work is set to become a reference for students, legal practitioners and citizens wishing to understand what is happening behind the doors of the law firm.