Former informant accused of extortion around Ivory Coast’s criminal division
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Connection Ivoirienne
Journalist Fernand Dédeh presents Cheick Berthé, a Malian national and former detainee, as a former informant for Ivorian justice accused of using the name of the Economic and Financial Criminal Division to extort operators. Ivory Coast’s Justice Ministry disputes Jeune Afrique’s reports, while accounts differ over the arrests and search mentioned in the case, according to Connectionivoirienne.
Ivorian journalist Fernand Dédeh accuses Cheick Berthé, a Malian national and former informant for the Ivorian justice system, of demanding money from business operators by claiming links to the Economic and Financial Criminal Division (PPEF). His account offers a different version of the corruption and extortion allegations involving those around the jurisdiction, reported by Jeune Afrique.
According to Dédeh, Berthé was recruited as an informant after a conviction and helped dismantle a drug-trafficking network. He subsequently worked on other cases, including an affair involving passports issued to foreigners and the “Lebahi affair”. The journalist says that after being sought, Berthé left Ivory Coast for Ghana, then returned and settled in Grand-Bassam.
Ivory Coast’s Ministry of Justice strongly rejects Jeune Afrique’s reports about an alleged corruption and extortion network. Accounts also differ over arrests and a search mentioned in the case. The investigation into corruption targeting the Economic and Financial Criminal Division was reported on 30 October.
