CRIET: 5 years of imprisonment requested against five defendants, including three military personnel in a case of counterfeit medicines

The case involves law enforcement officers accused of using their uniforms to simulate false seizures of pharmaceutical and psychotropic products. According to the special prosecutor’s office, they then returned the shipments to the drivers in exchange for sums of money, payments estimated between 200,000 FCFA and 300,000 FCFA. At the stand, all the accused denied the charges against them.

At the end of the debates, the public prosecutor requested a sentence of 60 months of imprisonment for each of the five defendants, along with a fine of 2 million CFA francs. The prosecution also requested the confiscation and destruction of the seized products.

In defense, the military’s lawyer pleaded for outright acquittal, or alternatively, in favor of the benefit of the doubt. The defense notably argued that the existence of a shared discussion group did not constitute sufficient evidence of an offense and regretted the handling of the official reports.

The case was adjourned to October 8, 2026, to allow for the submission of new evidence.