Raymond Adekambi, the former CEO of AGETIP-Bénin, has been sentenced by Benin’s Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (CRIET) to a total of eight years in prison and fined over six billion CFA francs.
The verdict, delivered on Monday, April 14, 2025, follows charges of breach of trust and money laundering.
The court handed down two separate prison terms—five years and three years—following a series of investigations into the former executive’s financial management practices during his tenure.
However, Adekambi’s legal team has strongly denounced the ruling, describing it as emblematic of a deepening “judicial insecurity” in the country.
Speaking to the Beninese newspaper Le Potentiel, Adekambi’s lawyer, Me Charles Agbota, fiercely criticised the judicial process, claiming the funds in question were legitimate advances approved by AGETIP-Bénin’s internal control bodies.
“The advances that were used as the basis for prosecution were allocated for the operational functioning of AGETIP-Bénin,” he explained.
Agbota also addressed the so-called ECOREF affair, another element of the case, noting that the debt in question was contracted by the institution itself, not Adekambi in his personal capacity.
He maintained that his client was being unfairly targeted in a case that should fall within the corporate responsibility of the agency.
Highlighting a number of procedural concerns, Agbota revealed that the court’s composition changed unexpectedly at the time of the verdict, with no reopening of the trial debates—a move he described as legally questionable.
In response to what he considers multiple breaches of legal protocol, Agbota confirmed that an appeal will be lodged.
“We are determined to challenge this judgment and remain confident in the ability of the higher courts to rectify these serious irregularities,” he said.
The case has reignited debate in Benin over judicial transparency and due process, especially in high-profile anti-corruption trials.
Source: lanouvelletribune
