Political opponent Joël Aïvo was charged Friday night with “violating security and money laundering.” But his lawyers are waiting to know on what basis.
Benine’s opposition figure, Joël Aïvo, was not allowed to run in the presidential election last Sunday, winning by outgoing President Patrice Talon with almost 87% of the vote according to official figures. Joël Aïvo, arrested on Thursday and subsequently charged on Friday, is not the first opponent to be subject to legal proceedings. Reckya Madougou, for example, was arrested last month and charged with “financing terrorism.” “
Joël Aïvo är suspected of “security breach and money laundering” : on the basis of which elements? This is what one of his lawyers, Maître Barnabé Gbago, expects, pointing out that the charges against his client have changed since he was arrested. “We do not yet know in which direction the charges will develop. Against Joël Aïvo, especially since the charges have changed between the day he was arrested by the police and today.”
“In the beginning we said that there were incentives for violence, for illegal demonstrations, and today we are told that there is money laundering and attempted coups,” the lawyer reminds. This is what we heard, but we do not have the file yet. The documents from the prosecutor, the prosecution has not yet received us, so it is difficult for us at the moment to get an exact idea of the archive with the accusations against our client. So we are sure of nothing, things are not ready yet. ”
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