Benin: The city hall of Porto Novo demands 3 billion from the 2nd deputy mayor in a land fraud case
The Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (CRIET) has once again been the scene of a high-profile political and administrative case, reports Banouto.
SUMMARY
On Thursday, July 24, 2025, the city of Porto-Novo, which is a civil party in the case, claimed three billion CFA francs in compensation for the damages it says it suffered in a suspected fraud case involving land parcels.
At the heart of the scandal: Alin Tozo, the second deputy mayor of the capital city. He is prosecuted, along with other defendants, for abuse of functions and complicity in abuse of functions. They are accused of providing, despite unfavorable opinions and files considered incomplete, non-compliance resettlement certificates according to current regulations.
The case originates in 2020, when two certificate applications were rejected by the municipal commission responsible for checking the completeness of documents. Yet, in 2024, one of the applications reappeared, this time signed and validated, under conditions that the city hall finds dubious. The concerned plot of land even changed hands, based on an agreement signed off by the 2nd deputy mayor himself.
A bribe of 600,000 FCFA mentioned
The debates allowed to shed light on an alleged attempt at corruption. A sum of 600,000 FCFA is said to have been offered to commission members to bolster the signing of the disputed file. According to statements, this amount would have passed through the hands of the second deputy mayor. Alin Tozo admits to receiving the envelope, but claims to have returned it after his colleagues’ refusal.
In front of the Court, he pleads not guilty. He maintains that the files would have been handed to him knowingly without the required documents, unbeknownst to him, in order to get him to sign.
Three billion or restitution of the parcels
During the hearing, the city’s lawyer, Me Mesmin Dodjinou, painted a stark picture of the irregularities found in the documents submitted to the case: documentary inconsistencies, lack of certification, and missing details on the cadastral plans. The municipal defense has requested the restitution of all parcels fraudulently obtained or, failing that, the payment of three billion CFA francs as compensation.
The public prosecutor, for his part, believed that the case did not fall under the purview of the CRIET. He requested its incompetency, suggesting the case be transferred to the Special Court of Land Affairs (CSAF), arguing that the facts are more related to land fraud.
The defense, acknowledging this position, pleaded the acquittal of its clients, arguing a lack of constitution of offense.
The decision is awaited for August 14th, 2025. Until then, the city of Porto-Novo is holding its breath in a case where the boundary between administrative error, alleged corruption, and land dispute seems murkier than ever.
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