COTONOU, Benin — Two close associates of the Beninese president have been sentenced to two decades in prison after being arrested last year on suspicion of attempting to overthrow the government in the small West African nation.
Olivier Boko, a businessman and a trusted confidant of President Patrice Talon, along with Oswald Homeky, a former minister of sports, were convicted of “conspiracy against state security” and “corruption of a public official” by the court in Cotonou, dealing with financial misconduct and terrorism-related charges.
The verdict was delivered on Thursday evening. Both men were apprehended in September after being accused of bribing the commander responsible for the president’s security forces to facilitate a coup attempt.
According to Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor overseeing the financial crimes and terrorism court, Homeky was allegedly caught in the act, delivering six bags filled with cash to the head of the presidential guard.
During the trial, Col. Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre, the head of the presidential guard, testified that in September, Homeky approached him with plans to stage a coup against Talon.
Boko, often regarded as Talon’s close advisor, was accused of orchestrating the coup plot and was arrested at a later date. Many politicians, including Homeky, had previously indicated their support for Boko in a potential bid for the presidency in the upcoming 2026 elections.
A third individual, Rock Nieri, Boko’s brother-in-law, who remains at large, was sentenced in absentia on the same charges.
While Benin has generally been recognized as one of the more stable democracies in Africa, critics, including opposition leaders and human rights groups, have accused Talon of exploiting the judicial system to undermine political rivals since his election in 2016. They claim that he adjusted electoral regulations to strengthen his grip on power in 2021.
After winning re-election three years ago, Talon made a commitment to refrain from seeking a third term in the 2026 elections, adhering to the constitution, which restricts presidential terms to two.
The defendants’ lawyers were absent during the reading of the verdict, having previously withdrawn to protest the court’s structure.
In addition to their 20-year sentences, the court mandated that the three defendants pay a combined sum of 60 billion CFA francs (approximately $95 million) in damages to the state of Benin. Each of them was also fined 4.5 billion CFA francs (around $6.8 million) individually.
