Benin: Two electric cable thieves heavily sentenced by the CRIET
Two individuals were sentenced to seven years in prison by the Court for the Suppression of Economic Crimes and Terrorism (CRIET) on Thursday, June 12, 2025. They were prosecuted for aggravated theft of electrical cables belonging to the Société béninoise d’énergie électrique (SBEE), in the town of Adjarra, reported Banouto.
According to the accusation, the two men allegedly carried out several nocturnal sabotage operations during which several kilometers of cables were cut and taken. The total damage is estimated at over 100 million CFA francs.
During the hearing, the public prosecutor had requested five years in prison, along with a fine of two million CFA francs, and full reimbursement of the damages estimated at 109 million. But the judge went beyond the prosecutor’s requests.
In its decision, the Court sentenced each of the defendants to seven years of imprisonment, a fine of 327 million CFA francs, and restitution of the full amount of the damages. Additionally, the judge ordered the confiscation of all their assets for up to five years after serving their sentence to ensure compensation.
The thieves operated mainly at night, on the SBEE’s electric poles. In total, ten cases of theft had been recorded in the area before their arrest. According to the evidence presented at the trial, three cables of 250 meters each were cut on six poles, plunging several neighborhoods into darkness.
A construction site guard caught the criminals in action. His alert mobilized local residents, already exasperated by the recurrent power outages caused by these repeated acts of sabotage.
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