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Former military chief accused of stealing ECOMOG funds

    ABIDJAN

    Benin’s former armed forces chief of staff, Colonel Gandonou Kodja, has been accused of stealing money meant for Beninese soldiers who served with the West African force, ECOMOG, in Liberia in 1997, AFP reported, citing state-owned radio.

    Kodja has not been arrested but his former aide and a businessman were remanded into custody on Wednesday.

    In April, Beninese soldiers demanding their peacekeeping stipends for duty in Liberia also asked for “clarification” of the administration of funds meant for their contingent.

    That same month, then Defence Minister Severin Adjovi accused Kodja of stealing 32 million francs CFA (US $44,559) reserved for the ECOMOG mission. Denmark, AFP said, had given about one billion francs CFA ($1.39 million) to Benin to support its deployment under ECOMOG.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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