Weighing fraud: SIRAT agents heavily condemned

The Criminal Court of Cotonou rendered its verdict on Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the weighing fraud case involving several agents of the Company for Road Infrastructure and Land Development (SIRAT). The defendants, accused of orchestrating fraudulent practices at the Ekpè and Ahozon toll stations, received sentences up to 50 months in prison.

According to the prosecution’s case, as reported by Banouto, the agents involved would deliberately underestimate the weight of vehicles, notably heavy-duty trucks, by reducing the number of axles counted during weighing. This manipulation allowed them to illicitly pocket the difference in toll charges.

The investigation, conducted over a six-month period, revealed established links between certain agents and business operators, as well as truck owners. In exchange for amounts up to 60,000 CFA francs per tonnage, the agents falsified the weights. A particularly striking case involves an agreement between a truck owner and agents, involving a periodic payment of 500,000 CFA francs.

Overwhelming Evidence

The investigations allowed the extraction of phone data from the defendants, presented during the debates to support the accusations. Of the eleven defendants, two admitted to the charges of abuse of functions, while the remaining nine denied any involvement.

The judge reclassified the facts of “abuse of office and complicity” as “abuse of office, complicity and money laundering”. At the end of the debates, the following sentences were pronounced: five agents received 36 months in prison and a fine of 11 million CFA francs. The truck owner was sentenced to 30 months in prison and a fine of 20 million CFA francs. Another agent was sentenced to 30 months in prison and a fine of 3 million CFA francs.

The Court also ordered the confiscation of 990,000 CFA francs found on one of the agents, and jointly sentenced the defendants to pay 100 million CFA francs in damages and interest to SIRAT, constituted as a civil party. The convicts have a period of 15 days to file an appeal.