Alleged Treason: Court Sentence Opposition Leader To Prison In Benin | READ DETAILS
Faith Ukanwa
Dec 07, 2021
A special court in Benin on Tuesday sentenced one of the country's opposition figures, Joel Aivo, to 10 years in prison after a trial on treason and corruption charges.
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The academic, who had been held for eight months, had said the charges of plotting against the state and money laundering were politically motivated.
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He was convicted after a more than 16-hour trial, an AFP reporter said.
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Several opposition leaders were detained before or just after the April 11 election that saw Benin President Patrice Talon win a second term with more than 86 percent of the vote.
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Aivo, one of the opposition figures who was barred from running in the presidential election, had pleaded not guilty when the trial opened Monday.
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Arrested on April 15, Aivo was tried at the Economic Crime and Terrorism Court (CRIET) in the West African country's administrative capital, Porto-Novo.
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The CRIET, a special court set up in 2016, has often been accused by critics of serving as a tool by Talon's regime to crack down on the opposition.
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Once praised for its thriving multi-party democracy, critics say Benin has slipped steadily into authoritarian rule under former cotton magnate Talon.
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Some opposition figures have fled the country while others were disqualified from running in elections, or targeted for investigation.
AFP
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— Faith Ukanwa