Land fraud in Abomey-Calavi: ten-year prison sentence for the main defendant, according to the Csaf

The case pits several buyers against sellers accused of having transferred lands whose ownership was heavily contested. Among the victims are a Beninese national living in France and a university professor. Both say they were swindled when buying parcels that were subsequently resold to others.

According to the evidence examined at the hearing and reported by Le Potentiel, one of the plaintiffs had acquired a parcel for twelve million CFA francs before investing nearly three million more in works. She would later discover that another portion of the same estate had been sold to a second buyer for six million CFA francs, while the seller did not hold any real right to the lands.

During the investigation, the defendant claimed ownership of the parcels on the basis of a sale agreement presented as regular. The prosecution argued, however, that this document was forged and intended to give an appearance of legality to the transaction. The argument was undermined at the hearing by the director of land and environmental affairs at the Abomey-Calavi town hall, who stated that the referenced judicial decision did not recognize the rights claimed by the defendant and attributed the property to another person.

The municipal records already noted the disputed nature of the parcels, confirmed by a prior court ruling unfavorable to the alleged rightful claimants.

At the end of the debates, the court acquitted two people charged with complicity, finding that there remained a doubt about their criminal involvement. By contrast, the main defendant was found guilty of stellionat, land parcel fraud, as well as forgery and use of forged private writings.

After requalification, he was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment, a fine of five hundred thousand CFA francs and the costs of justice. Two co-defendants were found guilty of complicity in fraud and each sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with a fine of two hundred thousand CFA francs.

The Court also admitted the civil parties’ claims. The principal condemned must pay fifteen million CFA francs to one of the victims and seven million CFA francs to the other for material damages. The convicted have fifteen days to appeal and three months to settle the sums due to the State.