Management of seized assets: ANRACS frees courts of obsolete seals

On October 1, 2025, the First-Class Court of First Instance of Parakou carried out an operation to clear out its evidence storage rooms, supervised by the National Agency for the Recovery of Confiscated and Seized Assets (ANRACS).

The initiative aimed to remove, sort, and redirect several batches of seized goods related to judicial proceedings. Under ANRACS supervision, counterfeit medicines, firearms, psychotropic substances, items from poaching, and used equipment were inventoried, packaged, and then removed.

Some batches were handed over to the Directorate of Armed Forces Equipment, others were destroyed, while part was transferred to the Water and Forestry services or to the armed forces.

This operation is part of a national process initiated by the Ministry of Justice and Legislation, aimed at freeing Beninese courts from dangerous or unnecessary objects that clutter the evidence storage rooms.

It involved magistrates, ANRACS agents, and technical contractors, and was secured by the Army.

After Parakou, similar operations are planned in other jurisdictions, notably in Ouessè and in the Atlantique department, to carry out the incineration of obsolete goods. At each stage, a detailed inventory is drawn up and minutes are co‑signed by all parties involved.

This approach aims to improve the management of seized items, free up space in the courts, and ensure the security of seized property still relevant to ongoing proceedings.