The case, examined this Thursday by the High Court (TGI) of N'Djamena, resembles a classic fraud scenario, but the defense cries foul. At the heart of the dispute: a cotton seed order dating from 2022 , valued at 64 million FCFA , which the plaintiff describes as a "blatant forgery".

An investment that goes up in smoke

It all began with a promise of a deal with the company Coton-Tchad . The plaintiff, put in contact with the defendant by an intermediary, sensed a good opportunity. After exchanging emails and reaching a verbal agreement, he paid 5 million FCFA to guarantee the transaction.

However, the contract never materialized. Convinced he had been tricked by a counterfeit document, the plaintiff took the matter to court for fraud, forgery, and use of forged documents .

The prosecution's demands: The firmness of the Public Prosecutor's Office

The lawyer for the plaintiffs did not mince words, describing a fraudulent scheme orchestrated to extort funds. His demands are substantial:

1. Immediate reimbursement of the 5 million FCFA paid.
2. 50 million FCFA in damages and interest.

The prosecutor, concurring, described the defendant as a swindler who had sold a fictitious "deal." He requested a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 FCFA.

The defense pleads logistical incident

In court, the defense dismissed the fraud charges. According to the defendant's lawyer, the document is authentic and the transaction was conducted in good faith. The failure of the deal, he argued, was due to an external factor: the deterioration of the cotton stock in Pala caused by humidity .

"If my client was a fraudster, would he have used his own bank account, thus leaving an indelible trace of the money received?" the defense insisted.

For the defendant's lawyers, the dispute should be settled with the company Coton-Tchad and not in criminal court, due to a lack of evidence of intentional "fraudulent maneuvers".

Verdict awaited

After hearing from both sides, the presiding judge closed the proceedings. The court will deliver its verdict on March 5th .