CRIET: A former French commander sentenced to six months in prison for the case involving forged administrative documents.

After more than two months of deliberation, the special court found the main defendant guilty of the charges against him.

The case originates from the dismantling of a network specializing in the production of forged administrative documents from Benin. The defendant, described by the prosecution as a key figure in this operation, is a former commander of a special forces unit in the French army, who had been stationed in Benin for more than three years. He was sentenced to a six-month prison term, along with a fine of 500,000 CFA francs.

During the investigation and the hearings, the inquiry had notably led to the seizure of digital data and compromising video files at the suspect’s residence. While the public prosecutor had requested a sentence of two years in prison, including four months of actual imprisonment, along with a fine of two million CFA francs on June 15th, the court followed the prosecution’s assessment of guilt in principle, but significantly reduced the severity of the sentence.

The other two individuals who were being prosecuted alongside the former officer were fully acquitted. All parties now have a fifteen-day period to file an appeal against this decision.