Benin: Businessman and former minister to get new lawyers assigned by court

Businessman Olivier Boko and former Minister of Sports Oswald Homéky will now have lawyers assigned to them by the president of the National Bar Association of Benin. This decision was made during a court hearing on Wednesday, January 22, at the Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (Criet). They are accused of crimes such as conspiracy against the State, bribing a public official, and using false documents.  

During the hearing, the court asked the accused if they had made arrangements to hire new lawyers since their previous lawyers were removed the day before. Olivier Boko replied, “We are locked up all day. Our detention does not allow us to contact anyone. We couldn’t do anything about it.”  

The special prosecutor, Mario Mètonou, reminded the court that, according to the law, the accused cannot be questioned without legal representation. He suggested that the court request the president of the National Bar Association to assign new lawyers to the accused so the trial could continue on Thursday, January 23. The presiding judge agreed and postponed the hearing.  

The law states that court-appointed lawyers must be registered with a bar association. If the lawyer does not live in the city where the court is located, their travel costs can be reimbursed. These lawyers are given access to all the documents needed to prepare the defense, and the accused receive free copies of important reports.  

Olivier Boko and Oswald Homéky had earlier argued that it was not fair to expect a new lawyer to understand their case in such a short time. After the hearing was postponed, Olivier Boko said, “I have the money to hire my own lawyers.”