Benin: Achille Chaou, a close associate of Boni Ouorou, receives a 7-year prison sentence on appeal.

While he had been acquitted in the first instance, the accused saw his fate change before the appellate court, which found him guilty and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

The case had sparked numerous reactions during the initial ruling, where the lower court concluded that there were not sufficient charges to hold the defendant guilty. However, the public prosecutor appealed this decision of acquittal, and the court of appeal re-examined all the elements of the case before imposing this heavy prison sentence.

This conviction on appeal marks a decisive turning point in this judicial procedure, completely overturning the first verdict and sealing Achille Chaou’s detention to serve his sentence.