Ivory Coast justice ministry denies corruption probe
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Fraternité Matin
The Ivorian Justice Ministry says no Gendarmerie investigation is targeting members of the Economic and Financial Criminal Division, contrary to information reported by Jeune Afrique. It describes the presence of FBI agents as judicial cooperation against sextortion and money laundering, which has already contributed to cybercrime proceedings, according to the statement published on 31 October 2026.
The Ivory Coast Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has denied the existence of a corruption investigation targeting the Economic and Financial Criminal Division (Ppef), contrary to information published by Jeune Afrique. In a statement published on Saturday, Justice Minister Jean Sansan Kambilé said that no corruption or extortion network within the jurisdiction was under investigation, reports Fraternité Matin.
The ministry also denied the existence of foreign bank accounts linked to the network and said that no US agency had contacted the Ivorian state on the matter. It said that no National Gendarmerie investigation currently targeted members of the Ppef.
The presence of FBI agents at the Ppef, according to the ministry, is part of judicial cooperation between Ivory Coast and the United States. A task force bringing together Ivorian magistrates, Ppef investigators, US prosecutors and FBI agents is working in particular on sextortion and money-laundering cases involving American victims. The ministry said that this cooperation had led to arrests and convictions in several cybercrime cases.
The statement came after allegations reported on 30 October about a corruption investigation targeting Ivory Coast’s criminal division and after a former informant was implicated in a racketeering case involving the Ppef, announced on 31 October in the racketeering case involving Ivory Coast’s criminal division.
