He adds: ‘’The justice system is no longer fulfilling its role as the guardian of freedom, as a social regulator or as (a guarantor) of the balance of powers. I am resigning from a judiciary which has itself stepped down.’’

It’s not the first time Judge Dème, 42, has spoken out. Just more than a year ago, he resigned from the Conseil Superieur de la Magistrature – Senegal’s privy council of judges – citing similar reasons. In his open letter, he criticises both President Macky Sall and his own colleagues. He says the head of state has ‘’failed in his constitutional obligation to guarantee the independence of this institution".

"Above all, a large share of the judicial hierarchy has internalised a culture of submission which has gradually replaced a long tradition of honour, dignity and independence," the letter continues. The judge’s resignation comes just four days before the expected end of one of the country’s most high-profile and politically-charged court cases.

This Friday, the High Court in Dakar is expected cast its verdict in the case of Khalifa Sall, the mayor of Dakar, who is in jail on corruption charges which his supporters say have been fabricated or exaggerated for political reasons.