Benin: 2 young men charged before the CRIET in an online fraud case

The Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (CRIET) examined, on Monday, November 10, 2025, an internet fraud case involving two young men. One of them admitted the facts before the special court.

At the stand, the main defendant admitted having set up “love plans” intended to trap victims on social media, a typical method of romance scams.

His co-defendant, for his part, denied any involvement, arguing that the phone used to commit the acts did not belong to him.

In his submissions, the deputy prosecutor asked for an acquittal in favor of the doubt for the one who denies the charges. By contrast, he requested a sentence of five years’ imprisonment, including two years to be served, as well as a fine of 500,000 CFA francs against the defendant who admitted the facts. The court’s decision will be handed down on December 22.