Military markets in Niger: judges critical of judicial follow-up

Nigerien soldiers on patrol (photo illustration). ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

The Department of National Defense contract management audit continues to make waves. The autonomous union of the magistrates of Niger reacted to the communiqué, published Thursday February 27 by the Nigerien government, recognizing irregularities.

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This audit, requested by President Issoufou and commissioned by the current Minister of Defense, reveals in particular overcharges and purchases of military equipment never delivered. In its press release on Thursday, the government said it had decided to " reimburse the amounts unduly collected ", and to transmit to the competent courts the files of suppliers who refused to perform.

SAMAN, the autonomous syndicate of magistrates in Niger, accuses the government of not respecting the separation of powers, the independence of the judiciary, and the equality of citizens before the law. " The government has indicated that it will not, initially, seize the jurisdictions but make reimburse the persons implied, and that, it is only when they refuse to reimburse, that it will seize the competent courts , regrets Nouhou Aboubacar, the secretary general of SAMAN's national executive office, contacted by phone. These are powers that do not belong to the government ! "

It is not a prerogative of the executive power but of the “public prosecutor , according to Nouhou Aboubacar. If he considers that there is no offense, he files without action. If he considers that there is an offense, he requests the opening of a judicial investigation, which will further enlighten Nigerien citizens on the actions of each other . Actions that have sufficiently damaged both the state and the citizens of Niger, ”concludes Nouhou Aboubacar.

Read also : Military markets in Niger: a collective of lawyers is being set up

Unfounded accusations according to the government

The Nigerien Minister of Justice believes that SAMAN's accusations against the government are unfounded. For Marou Amadou, this is in no way a blow to the separation of powers, the independence of the judiciary, or the equality of citizens before the law, as the union claims.

" The government's goal is to recover all that has been dissipated," said the minister. And that is the criminal law of Niger which says it first: all those who reimburse incur only the stay, in matters of embezzlement of public funds. We have in Niger what is called the judicial agency of the State which receives all the resources that both have dissipated. "

When the sums to be recovered are large, the Minister speaks of “ billions ”. They are rarely recovered and that is when " the prosecutor pursues those who have not reimbursed ".

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  • Niger
  • Corruption
  • Defense

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