The former administrative and financial director (DAF) of the Abidjan Urban Transport Project (PTUA) was found guilty of embezzlement of public funds, illicit enrichment and money laundering by the criminal, economic and financial division .

The court imposed a series of severe sanctions on him, including the withdrawal of his passport for a period of three years , the deprivation of his civil and political rights for five years , as well as a ban on exercising any function as CFO or any public function for three years .

In terms of assets, the court ordered the confiscation of several properties , including a sum of 536,602 FCFA held in a bank account, as well as two four-room villas , one of which is located in Abatta, in the Don Mello district.

AGEROUTE , having joined the proceedings as a civil party, obtained a judgment against the defendant ordering him to reimburse 138 million FCFA , corresponding to the amount embezzled, as well as to pay 50 million FCFA in damages. The judgment is subject to immediate enforcement .

The State of Ivory Coast , also a civil party, was awarded 10 million FCFA in damages .

The convicted man has three months from the date of his sentence to pay the fines owed to the state. His term of imprisonment for debt has been set at one year , and he has 20 days to appeal the decision.

Summary of the facts

As part of the Y4 roadworks , residents living on the right-of-way were to be relocated before construction began. Faced with delays in the disbursement of public funds, the PTUA's Director of Administration and Finance had established a pre-financing mechanism with contractors, which was intended to be formalized later by the State.

During the trial, the defendant admitted to personally misappropriating funds , acknowledging that he had withdrawn 138 million FCFA , part of which he allegedly paid to a service provider. This admission weighed heavily in the court's decision, which found him guilty on all charges .