Government to replace criminal code

Benin’s government has decided to replace its colonial criminal code with a new law, PANA reported officials as saying on Wednesday. The new bill, which has yet to be ratified by parliament, will retain the death penalty clause. The new code will replace laws applicable in the West African French colonies under a decree of 6 May 1877 called the Bouvenet Code. Justice Minister Joseph Gnonlonfoun described it as “outdated regarding the numerous changes and transformations which occurred in the Benin society.” To justify maintaining the death penalty in the new criminal code he said that people demanded “supreme punishment for some unacceptable crimes. Furthermore, he said, Benin could become a haven for some of the worst criminals in the region should capital punishment be scrapped.