Bank robbery case: Désiré Vodonou’s sentence reduced to 7 years

The Criet Court of Appeal examined on Monday, November 17, 2025, the appeal in the case concerning a bank break-in involving former MP Désiré Vodonou.

Sentenced to 14 years in prison at first instance, the former MP from Zogbodomey has had his sentence reduced to 7 years, according to reports by Libre Express.

His co-defendants, Sylvestre Attadé, former BGFI branch manager, and Sy Sérigne Abdoul Aziz, a Senegalese IT specialist, benefited from the same reduction.

The initial fines, set at 2,110 billion FCFA, were also reduced. The Court cut them to one-third, i.e. a little over 700 million FCFA per defendant.

The general confiscation of assets is confirmed, except for those considered essential to family life. Professional sanctions remain unchanged: Sylvestre Attadé is permanently barred from the banking sector and Sy Sérigne Abdoul Aziz remains subject to a ban on staying in Benin upon his release.

Arrested since November 2022, the three men were prosecuted for an operation known as “server to server”, consisting of injecting illicit funds allegedly transferred from Russia into BGFI’s computer system. The public prosecutor saw this as an attempt to conceal suspicious funds through a legal channel.

Despite the arguments presented on appeal, the court considered that the responsibilities established at first instance justified upholding the convictions, while re-evaluating the sentences.