SENEGAL BRIEFLY SYMPATHETIC ONE MIGHT SAY THAT THINGS WERE RIGGED IN ADVANCE 
WHEN EX-PREMIER MAMADOU DIA WENT ON TRIAL LAST WEEK FOR ATTEMPTING 
TO SEIZE POWER IN DECEMBER . AFTER ALL, SIX OF THE 
SEVEN " JUDGES " WERE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY THAT 
DIA HAD TRIED TO DISSOLVE BY FORCE DURING THE ABORTIVE COUP 
. THEY JUST MIGHT BE A LITTLE PREJUDICED . BUT WHEN 
THE PROCEEDINGS BEGAN, THE COURT WAS CAREFUL TO OBSERVE ALL THE 
FLOWERY DECORUM OF GALLIC JUSTICE . THE PRESIDING JUDGE WAS RESPLENDENT 
IN ERMINETRIMMED LONG RED ROBES, AND SAT LISTENING WITH CALM DIGNITY 
. MOREOVER, DIA WAS NOT EVEN CHARGED WITH " PLOTTING, " 
ONLY WITH THE MORE VAGUE " ACTING AGAINST THE INTERNAL SECURITY 
OF THE STATE . " TAKING THE FLOOR IN HIS OWN 
DEFENSE, DIA ARGUED THAT HE WAS NOT GUILTY OF THE CHARGES 
. WHEN HE SENT GENDARMES TO OVERTHROW PRESIDENT LEOPOLD SENGHOR AND 
ARREST PRO-SENGHOR DEPUTIES, DIA SAID, HE WAS ONLY TRYING TO HEAD 
OFF A PLOT AGAINST HIMSELF THAT STEMMED FROM HIS EFFORTS TO 
CRACK SENEGAL'S PEANUT MONOPOLISTS . CRIED DIA : " I WANTED 
A CONSTITUTIONAL SOLUTION, THEY (SENGHOR'S MEN) WANTED A POLITICAL ONE . 
" IN REPLY, THE PROSECUTOR SOUNDED DOWNRIGHT SYMPATHETIC . THERE WERE 
EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES, HE AGREED ; DIA WAS OBVIOUSLY A MISGUIDED PATRIOT 
WHO " THOUGHT THAT ONE COULD NOT BE A GOOD SENEGALESE 
WHEN ONE WAS AGAINST MAMADOU DIA . " BUT AT WEEK'S 
END THE COURT GAVELED AN END TO COURTLINESS . AFTER TWO 
HOURS AND 15 MINUTES OF DELIBERATION, THE JUSTICES SENTENCED DIA TO 
THE MAXIMUM PENALTY, LIFE IMPRISONMENT . 