Benin: a storekeeper and 2 accomplices sentenced for theft of materials
The Abomey-Calavi court pronounced its verdict this Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in a case of breach of trust involving three former employees of a construction company. The company’s chief storekeeper and two of his co-defendants were found guilty of fraudulent subtraction and illegal resale of materials owned by their employer.
The events date back to 2023. According to the case file, the three defendants would have repeatedly smuggled construction materials from the company’s stock on several occasions. These materials were then sold to third parties, and the profits from these illegal transactions distributed among the accomplices. The direct financial damage has been estimated at 7 million CFA francs, according to the elements produced at the hearing.
The victim company, a civil party, demanded reparation. During the hearing, the defense attempted to obtain the court’s leniency by highlighting the defendants’ cooperation during the investigation. In vain. The court issued a harsh verdict: the chief storekeeper and one of his accomplices were sentenced to five years in prison, four of which are closed. The third defendant received a two-year prison sentence.
In addition, each will have to pay a fine of 200,000 CFA francs. Finally, the three convicted were jointly ordered to repay the sum of 26 million CFA francs to their former employer, for damages and interest.
This verdict marks the justice system’s determination to firmly repress acts of embezzlement within companies, in a context where cases of internal fraud tend to multiply.
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