Benin: the ARMP cracks down hard on fraud in public procurement

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According to information from Lamarinabj, ARMP investigations revealed repeated fraudulent practices across different sectors. At SONEB, the companies URBANI TP, NYUMBA SARL and SAINTE MAIN DE DIEU were sanctioned for submitting false work attestations and certificates of satisfactory completion as part of a site maintenance contract.

At the Ministry of Justice, the company DELALIE PE is accused of producing non-authentic contracts and attestations for the maintenance of equipment such as elevators and air conditioners.

At the Cotonou Port Authority, the company FG45 SERVICES SARL was flagged for presenting a forged vehicle registration certificate during the validation of the results of a tender for road maintenance works. Finally, at SIRAT, the GACI/IMMERGIS/URBA CONSULTING consortium is suspected of providing false attestations for studies on urban mobility in the Greater Nokoué area.

Exemplary and Individual Sanctions

Facing these breaches, the Regulatory Council rejected the bids of the involved companies and ordered their exclusion from any public market in Benin for two years. The executives themselves face even stricter measures: the managing director of NYUMBA SARL and of SAINTE MAIN DE DIEU, as well as the promoter of DELALIE PE, are excluded for five years, while the head of URBANI TP is barred for seven years.

These decisions show the effectiveness of the control mechanism set up by the ARMP, based on the vigilance of the Public Market Responsible Persons (PRMP) and the evaluation commissions of the concerned bodies.

The sanctioned entities are SONEB, the Ministry of Justice, the Cotonou Port Authority, and SIRAT. For ARMP, these measures reaffirm that transparency and ethics are the core pillars of access to public contracts.

Investigations are ongoing to determine any further disciplinary liabilities.