CRIET: five years in prison requested against the former Chief of the 12th district of Cotonou.

During the hearing this Monday, the public prosecutor requested a severe sentence against the defendant. The hearing began late in the morning with the testimony of Yasmine Comlan, the assistant to Lionel Talon, the main complainant in this case.

On the stand, she confirmed having handed over a sum of three million CFA francs to Samuel Akindes on behalf of her employer. However, she specified that she could not certify whether these funds were allocated for financing an electoral campaign or for the deployment of the community center “Eya.”

The public prosecutor requests guilt, the defense pleads for acquittal

The first deputy prosecutor, speaking on behalf of the special prosecution, argued that the offenses of abuse of function were fully characterized, in accordance with the provisions of Article 375 of the Penal Code. Consequently, the magistrate requested the Court to recognize the guilt of Samuel Akindes Adékambi and imposed a sentence of 5 years of imprisonment, with two years mandatory. The magistrate also requested a fine of five million CFA francs.

On the other hand, the defense attorneys contested the content of the accusations. Arguing that the material evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient to substantiate the charge, they formally requested the outright acquittal of their client. Following these interventions, the president of the Court tabled the case for deliberation and set the date for the verdict on July 27, 2026.

For the record, during the previous hearing on June 1, 2026, the former district head firmly maintained his position. He explained that he had been collaborating for about three years with Lionel Talon on a sports infrastructure project that included a football field for the youth of Akogbato.

Samuel Akindes stated that he had revised the initial architectural plans, which initially only included the cultural center “Eya.”

The heart of the judicial debate revolves around two distinct financial movements:

• The sum of 200,000 CFA francs: Originally intended for organizing a cocktail for the local youth, which the defendant categorically denies having benefited from.
• The sum of 3,000,000 CFA francs: Samuel Akindes acknowledges receiving this amount handed over by the assistant. However, he argues that it was personal financial support granted by Lionel Talon to support his own electoral campaign, and not funding for the Akogbato project.

Just a few days after this financial transaction, on May 1, 2026, the local elected official was arrested by the Economic and Financial Brigade (BEF) while participating in a thank-you march dedicated to President Patrice Talon. The CRIET will issue its final decision on July 27, 2026.