Candide Azannaï release request denied by Benin appeal chamber in coup plot case
Cotonou — Benin’s appeal chamber has turned down the release request of Candide Azannaï, keeping the former minister and president of the Restore Hope party in pretrial detention in the file opened after the coup attempt foiled on 7 December 2025. The ruling rests on two clearly stated grounds: suspects who remain at large, and an inquiry the judges consider unfinished.
What the appeals chamber decided
The decision prolongs the Candide Azannaï detention ordered after his arrest, and confirms an earlier ruling from the chamber of freedoms and detention that had already rejected a first application for provisional release. Rather than closing the door, the appeal judges framed their choice as a procedural necessity: with presumed accomplices still being sought, freeing the accused could expose the case to interference and put the search for the truth at risk.
The accusations at the centre of the file
Azannaï was arrested in December 2025, in the aftermath of the events that shook the state apparatus. The public prosecutor and the Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (CRIET) are pursuing him on serious counts, including:
- Conspiracy against the security of the state
- Incitement to rebellion
In a consolidated constitutional democracy such as Benin, challenges to the stability of institutions are not treated lightly. That is the logic put forward to explain why detention, rather than release, was maintained while investigators trace the full reach of the alleged destabilisation attempt.
An appeal hearing conducted by the book
The session before the appeal chamber showed a contradictory and impartial process at work. After the rejection of the first release application, the defence was able to use its full right of appeal, and Azannaï was brought in person from his place of detention to face the judges — a detail that rules out any suggestion of summary or closed-door treatment.
The defence lawyer’s account of the inquiry
His counsel, Aboubacar Baparapé, described a methodical investigation. Speaking after the hearing, he acknowledged that the essential stages of the judicial inquiry had been carried out properly. He stated: “His interrogation on the merits is over, so there are no further elements left to examine.” In his reading, the individual phase of the case concerning his client has run its course, giving Azannaï room to set out his full version of events.
Freedom of speech in the courtroom
The lawyer also stressed that his client spoke freely throughout the proceedings, adding: “In any case, he has said he is not part of this case, and that he has nothing to do with everything that has been invented around him.” Those words suggest the rights of the defence were preserved, with the accused able to assert his innocence and reject the allegations against him in open court.
Baparapé made clear that the defence intends to keep using the remedies available: “When the time comes, we will file a fresh request until we are heard.” The statement points to standing mechanisms for review, tied to how the file and the judicial calendar evolve.
Why fugitives and unfinished inquiries matter
The court’s reasoning places facts above political timing. In a case of this scale, the judges argue, the pace of justice cannot follow urgency or emotion. By allowing the inquiry to continue calmly while presumed co-authors are still wanted, the judiciary says it is protecting society while preserving the promise of a fair and impartial trial.
Rule of law as the standard
Whatever disappointment the decision causes in the defence camp, the appeal ruling reflects the primacy of evidence over other considerations. Benin’s magistrates once again position the full establishment of the truth above individual expectations — a posture closely watched in African politics and governance debates as a marker of institutional independence. Procedural rigour, combined with respect for fundamental freedoms and defence rights, is what the ruling ultimately puts on display.
