By RFIPalled on 02-08-2019Modified on 02-08-2019 at 14:56

The Beninese justice condemned Friday, August 2, 2019, Lionel Zinsou to 5 years of ineligibility for exceeding electoral campaign expenses and use of false attestation. The court followed, all the requisitions pronounced on July 19 by the public prosecutor.

The offenses of "exceeding the campaign costs, forgery and use of forgery", all was held against the former prime minister Boni Yayi, who lost the presidential election against Patrice Talon in the second round, in 2016.

The court sentenced him to " 5 years of ineligibility, 6 months suspended sentence and 50 million CFA fine ". The former banker has 15 days to appeal, according to Judge Islamiath Fassassi Noukpo.

The former prime minister, who has never appeared since the beginning of the proceedings, was represented by one of his lawyers who did not wish to speak to the press. If the sentence is confirmed in two weeks or on appeal, Lionel Zinsou will, in fact, be excluded from municipal in 2020 and especially the presidential election in 2021.

Mr. Robert Dossou, veteran of the Beninese Bar and Lionel Zinsou's counsel, told RFI the day of the requisitions that it was " a trial built up to make his client ineligible ". The conviction is widely commented on social networks.

Lionel Zinsou 5 years of inequality ...
2021 I do not even want elections we want to save our poor money. Win Patal

đź‘‘Wininouđź‘‘ (@bloody__pearl) August 2, 2019

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