A court in Senegal has reportedly discharged and acquitted Ousmane Sonko, an opposition leader, on charges of rape in a case that lasted three years.

Mr Sonko, 48, had been accused of raping a 20-year-old massage parlour worker in 2021 and of making death threats against her.

Mr Sonko, the leader of the PASTEF-Patriots party, has maintained the charges were politically motivated since they were first made in 2021 and did attend the court hearing Thursday, according to a report by Voice of America (VOA).

Despite being cleared of the rape charge, Mr Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for corrupting youth, which is defined under Senegalese law as immoral behaviour or inciting such behaviour of a person under the age of 21 – his accuser was 20 at the time he was charged.

As a result, the court disqualifies him, for now, from participating in next year’s presidential elections.

Mr Sonko’s attorneys told reporters outside the court Thursday that the conviction was designed to prevent him from running against incumbent President Macky Sall in 2024. It is unclear if Mr Sonko can appeal the verdict.