Two prominent Benin men, Olivier Boko, a businessman and longtime friend of President Patrice Talon, and Oswald Homeky, a former sports minister, were arrested last week on suspicion of planning a coup.
They have been accused of seeking the help of a commander in charge of President Talon‘s security to initiate a coup in the country.
According to Elonm Mario Metonou, the special prosecutor at Benin’s court for financial crimes and terrorism, they engaged Djimon Dieudonne Tevoedjre, the Republican Guard commander, “to carry out a coup by force”.
Their attorney, Ayodele Ahounou, told AFP on Tuesday that Homeky and Boko have been placed in pre-trial detention.
“They will be sent to Cotonou prison”, in the country’s economic capital, pending their trial, he added.
Homeky was caught at around 1:00 am on September 24 while transferring six bags of cash totalling 1.5 billion West African CFA francs ($2.5 million) to Tevoedjre.
The court said Boko, often referred to as Talon’s “right-hand man,” was arrested separately in Cotonou.
Boko had recently begun signaling his intention to run for the presidency in 2026, when Talon’s second term ends. He is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election.
In 2023, Homeky stepped down as sports minister after calling for support for Boko’s bid to succeed Talon.
Tevoedjre was also arrested last week but has since been released with the charges against him dropped.
According to judicial sources, Boko and Homeky have been charged with corruption of a public official, money laundering, and conspiracy against the state’s authority. Three others are also facing charges in this case, one of whom has been detained while the other two were released.
Once regarded as a vibrant multi-party democracy, critics say Benin has become increasingly authoritarian since Talon took power in 2016.
In August, Steve Amoussou, an online critic of the president, was detained and ordered to stand trial later this year on allegations of publishing falsehoods and “inciting rebellion,” according to judicial sources reported by AFP.
