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At the end of April, political scientist and politician Richard Boni's "Le Libéral" party announced that it had obtained its provisional receipt, materialising its official existence. It came as a general surprise when, two weeks later, on 15 May, the Minister of the Interior and Public Security called into question the party's legality, on the grounds that Richard Boni had allegedly made payments in exchange for facilities to obtain his party's recognition certificate. In his statement, the Minister referred to "proven acts of corruption involving two Ministry officials, one from the Directorate of Political Parties and Electoral Affairs, and the other from the Directorate of Internal Affairs and Religious Affairs" in connection with the said receipt. Subsequently, the leader of the Le Libéral party and the two Ministry officials were formally charged on 21 May by the Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (Criet) with "corruption of public officials" and "money laundering". The defendants were remanded in custody on 22 May, with the exception of a third, an official from the same ministry, who was not brought before the court.

According to the Criet prosecutor, Mario Mètonou, the founder of the Liberal party, Richard Boni, admitted paying the sum of 7 million FCFA in exchange for facilitating the obtaining of a receipt to make his party official. The prosecutor also indicated that the Director of Political Parties and Electoral Affairs - one of the officials implicated - confessed to having received FCFA 5 million. The same sum was found in his home during a search. In addition, Achille Tchaou, a businessman and close associate of Richard Boni, was also placed under arrest on 23 May for "cybercrime" and "money laundering". While awaiting the outcome of this case, public opinion in Benin is still focusing on the 2026 presidential election. Indeed, the leader of the "Liberal" movement, Richard Boni, an entrepreneur based in Canada, was gradually beginning to settle in his home country. After transforming his "Terriens" movement into the Ligue d'initiative bénévole pour l'éducation et l'action libérale (Liberal League of Voluntary Initiative for Education and Liberal Action) in December 2023, he has since multiplied his charitable actions towards the people - in the north in this case -, thus refining his anchoring strategy. This approach has led many to believe that he has presidential ambitions.

2026 on the horizon

While the arrest of the founder of the "Le Libéral" party has put the 2026 general elections back on the agenda, the electoral code is still being contested. Clearly, the opposition, civil society and the clergy are calling for it to be reviewed. At a press conference on 23 May, Benin government spokesman Wilfried L. Houngbédji once again rejected this proposal. "The Electoral Code imposes the same challenge on all parties (...) All those who would like to take part in the elections and who meet the conditions will take part in the elections. So no one is excluded from the elections. You have to want to and you have to meet the conditions", he maintained. Meanwhile, while the identity of the candidates for the 2026 presidential election remains unclear, one of the contenders has officially declared his intention to run for the supreme office. The candidate is Daniel Edah, a former international civil servant, a former candidate in the 2016 presidential election, and a member of the consultation framework of opposition political parties. "I am a candidate with a vision, that of an economically prosperous and socially stable Benin in a well-integrated and growing Africa", declared Daniel Edah in a video posted on his Facebook page on 29 May.

Episodic trial

The verdict in the trial of former police director general Philippe Houndégnon, accused of "cyber-harassment and incitement to rebellion", will not be known any time soon. The Criet, which was due to hand down its decision on 19 May, unexpectedly declared "incompetent"itself . The case has therefore been sent back for investigation, as the judges consider the facts in question to be "criminal in nature". "This is a flagrant violation of the rights of the defence (...). This is judicial infamy", ranted François Kéké, one of his legal advisers. Pending an appeal by the defence, the Special Public Prosecutor's Office has lodged an appeal. The case of Philippe Houndégnon - a critic of the government - will therefore be examined by the judge of the appeal chamber. If the latter "confirms the first judgment, the public prosecutor will have to refer the case to an investigating judge. If it does not, the court will either convict or acquit", reports RFI. As a reminder, the Criet had requested two years' imprisonment against Philippe Houndégnon in April.

Another court case is that of Steve Amoussou, presented as the columnist and cyber-activist "Frère Hounvi", who still denies the identity attributed to him by the Criet. The court was due to give its final ruling on 26 May, but postponed its decision until 2 June. On 29 April, the prosecutor had requested a 2-year prison sentence against Steve Amoussou for "cyber harassment and incitement to rebellion". According to the Criet, Steve Amoussou is the same person as "Frère Hounvi", the author of strong criticisms of President Patrice Talon's governance, a claim that Amoussou has never ceased to deny.