In its 2024 activity report, the National Financial Information Processing Unit (Centif) exposed a money laundering scheme orchestrated by a politically exposed person (PEP) and his brothers. These actions are housed in the case of money laundering resulting from the fraud involving public funds through the use of nominees, savings certificates, term deposits and the creation of real estate companies (SCI). Following the transmission of a detailed report to the Prosecutor of the Financial Judicial Pool (PJF), the judicial authorities proceeded with a precautionary seizure of more than ten billion FCFA from the accounts of the various accused.

It emerges from the facts that during the previous year, Centif received several suspicious transaction reports from several financial institutions totaling several tens of billions of CFA francs. That this cumulative amount came from transfers issued by a public administration, for the benefit of an individual referred to here as Mr. Alpha, identified as a politically exposed person (PEP).

"The analysis of Mr. Alpha's account allowed Centif to note several financial transactions between 2017 and 2024, the cumulative amount of which amounts to several tens of billions of FCFA. These transactions consisted mainly of transfers, check remittances, cash vouchers, term deposits, anonymous bonds without economic justification. The referral to the authorities in charge of Public Procurement by Centif made it possible to establish that Mr. Alpha had not been awarded any public contracts over the past ten (10) years," the investigators reported.

Thus, the investigations made it possible to trace the transfer of a large part of the funds to the accused's bank accounts opened in banks in the sub-region, and to other bank accounts of real estate companies (SCI), held in the books of several financial institutions, held respectively by Messrs Delta and Gamma, all brothers of Mr Alpha.

Centif concluded: "After verification, Mr. Alpha appears to be the ultimate beneficial owner of these structures. Furthermore, the tax authorities are unaware of the existence of these SCIs. Throughout the investigation, it remains a constant that there is no documented economic link between the public administration and the beneficiary individuals and legal entities that could justify transfers of such large amounts."