Benin: the Supreme Court suspends the exclusion from public contracts affecting the new prefect of Zou.

The Supreme Court of Benin has ordered a stay on the sanctions imposed by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARMP) against Laurent Dhossou Zomaï and his company Zom-Espace, reported the government daily La Nation on Friday, June 6. The order was made following an appeal lodged on June 4, two days after the person’s appointment as prefect of Zou.

The high court deemed the request from Laurent Zomaï admissible and well-founded, contesting decision no. 2026-039 from the ARMP that excluded him from public procurement procedures for five years, while simultaneously imposing a two-year ban on Zom-Espace. In its order, the Supreme Court specifies that it maintains this suspension until it delivers a ruling on the substantive appeal filed against the ARMP’s decision. The ruling must be notified to the concerned parties and to the minister responsible for Decentralization and Local Governance.

The sanction imposed against Zomaï and his establishment is part of a series of decisions issued by the ARMP’s Regulatory Council in the spring of 2026 for submitting documents containing inaccurate information in bidding procedures. According to the official ARMP website, the decision regarding Zom-Espace took effect from April 30, 2026, with the establishment’s exclusion lasting until April 29, 2028, and that of its promoter until April 29, 2031. The public prosecutor near the Tribunal of Parakou had also been notified against Zom-Espace for inaccuracies and falsifications in submitted documents.

A delayed transition of duties

The Supreme Court’s decision lifts an administrative obstacle that arose at the very moment the new prefect was about to take office. Laurent Zomaï was appointed to head the Zou department by President Romuald Wadagni during the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in a move that affected twelve prefects across the country. Zou, whose capital is Abomey – a historic city classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, located about 130 kilometers north of Cotonou – is one of the central departments of the country.

The transition ceremony between outgoing prefect Daniel Valère Sètonnougbo and his successor, scheduled for Friday, June 5 in Abomey, was canceled at the last minute according to Nasuba Infos. It was the prefecture’s secretary general, Julien Ouankpo, who announced the postponement on site, without specifying the reasons, even though mayors, departmental directors, and administrative officials had already made the trip. No official explanation was provided by the Ministry of Decentralization.

With the suspension order issued by the Supreme Court, La Nation indicates that the transition of duties may finally take place on June 8 or 9, pending official confirmation.

Profile of a political leader

Laurent Zomaï hails from the Mono department and is known as the founding president of the Youth Consultation Framework (CCJ) and a promoter of several civic mobilization initiatives. He is a member of the presidential movement – affiliated with the Republican Bloc or the Progressive Union for Renewal (UPR), two parties that constituted the majority under Patrice Talon and supported Romuald Wadagni’s election in April 2026.

The Supreme Court’s order does not imply a judgment on the merits: the ARMP’s decision remains subject to being confirmed or annulled at the conclusion of the annulment process.