Burkina Faso: Two police officers dismissed for embezzling over 45 million CFA francs
The Council of Ministers, chaired this Thursday by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, took a firm stance on a sensitive case involving integrity breaches within the security forces. According to government spokesman Pingdwendé Gilbert Ouédraogo, the Council approved the dismissal of two police officers implicated in a public funds embezzlement scandal.
The scale of the offenses, as detailed by Divisional Commissioner Mahamadou Sana, underscores the gravity of the matter: a total of 45,216,000 CFA francs funds originally allocated for the operational financing of the Mobile Intervention Unit of the National Police based in Koin, in the Bankui region were reportedly misappropriated.
Two names stand at the center of the affair: Police Lieutenant Tiao B. Nicolas, head of the administrative and financial service at the Bankui Regional Directorate of the National Police, and Police Chief Sergeant Ilboudo Pawentoré Marcelin, logistics officer within the same unit. Both held key positions and have now been caught by the institution’s disciplinary rigor.
The sanction was unequivocal: outright dismissal, imposed in accordance with Law No. 027‑2018 governing the National Police personnel framework, as well as Decree No. 2019‑0406 on the general disciplinary regulations of the National Police.
This case illustrates the clear determination of the transitional authorities to show zero tolerance for the embezzlement of public funds even within the very institutions tasked with ensuring the security of Burkinabe citizens.
It is a strong signal of accountability, consistent with the principles upheld by the Popular Progressive Revolution.
Maurice K.ZONGO
