Côte d’ivoire: Saïd Penda faces justice, a media sham revealed
The Saïd Penda case—real name Mbombo Penda Saidou—exposes the dangerous drift of journalism gone rogue, twisted into a tool for personal vendettas and digital blackmail. On July 18, 2025, while the public anticipated a decisive courtroom showdown at the Abidjan-Plateau tribunal, the hearing was once again postponed to November 28, 2025, at the request of the public prosecutor. This is yet another episode in what increasingly appears to be a calculated judicial delay strategy aimed at evading the truth. The postponement only extends a pattern of avoidance orchestrated by a man whose methods have long since crossed ethical boundaries.
Under the guise of “investigative journalism,” Saïd Penda has built a name for himself through slander, defamation, and orchestrated manipulation. His baseless attacks against EBOMAF, a recognized pan-African economic player, and its president Mahamadou Bonkoungou, follow a toxic logic of character assassination. By exploiting social media as an echo chamber, he tries to turn lies into public truth—twisting freedom of expression into a weapon of manipulation.
What’s even more alarming is the deep damage being inflicted on the image of African journalism—already weakened by public mistrust, corruption allegations, and the growing confusion between activism, PR, and real journalism. Through his smear campaigns and unethical tactics, Saïd Penda undermines the collective integrity of a profession that remains essential to the continent’s democratic development.
The fight led by figures like Patrice Kissi, a dedicated communications professional and plaintiff in this case, is also the fight of a continent striving to restore dignity to public discourse. In the face of disinformation, it is up to the judiciary to rule with clarity—protecting the truth and those who stand for it.
