Ivory Coast: 3 years in prison for Apoutchou National, 5 years for Lionel PCS for money laundering.

ABIDJAN – The criminal court of Abidjan delivered its verdict on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in the money laundering case involving the prosecution against the influencer Stéphane Agbré, known as Apoutchou National, and his associate Akobé Léonel, known as Lionel PCS. Apoutchou National was sentenced to three years in prison and Lionel PCS to five years, with both receiving a fine of 264 million CFA francs (about 402,000 euros), according to information from Fraternité Matin. The sentences imposed were less severe than those requested by the prosecution: the public prosecutor had sought seven years of imprisonment and a fine of 240 million against each of the two defendants during the hearing on March 24, 2026.

The case erupted on November 12, 2024, following the release of a viral video on social media in which Apoutchou National displayed a bag containing bundles of cash. Arrested alongside a third co-defendant, Fofana Abdoulaye, the two men had been granted provisional release with a ban on leaving the country. They are being prosecuted under law n°2014-134 of March 24, 2014, on disputes related to violations of the regulations regarding financial relations of member states of UEMOA, ordinance n°2023-875 of November 23, 2023, on the fight against money laundering, and law n°2013-451 of June 19, 2013, on cybercrime, particularly for money transfers via electronic networks.

The State of Côte d’Ivoire and the National Lottery of Côte d’Ivoire (LONACI), which have constituted themselves as civil parties, had claimed two billion and one billion CFA francs in damages respectively during the pleadings. The amount of damages awarded by the court to the civil parties was not specified in the available information at the time of publication.

A legal debate on the legal basis for prosecution

The defense had attempted a procedural maneuver before the verdict to contest the foundations of the accusation. Mr. N’dry Claver, counsel for Apoutchou National, announced his intention to refer to the Constitutional Council to challenge the reclassification of the facts as violations of BCEAO regulations, arguing that the instruction from the BCEAO governor setting the cash payment threshold at 5 million CFA francs could not legally serve as a basis for criminal prosecution. The defense ultimately did not pursue this course of action.

The prosecution maintained its initial requests during the last hearing before the verdict, with an argument of opportunity addressed directly to the presiding judge: “Madam President, do not hesitate. The youth of the defendants should not impress you.”

The presumption of innocence that protected the two defendants until today no longer applies to the charges for which they were found guilty. They have a period to appeal the judgment in accordance with Ivorian law.