Another day of proceedings unfolded on Tuesday, April 16th, at the Economic and Financial Penal Pole in Abidjan, where a drug trafficking case has been under trial since December 22nd, 2023. Yesterday, the prosecution sought a ten-year prison sentence for thirteen defendants and the acquittal of a police officer. Today, it was the turn of the defense lawyers to present their arguments.
For Attorney Zakaria Touré, Miguel Devesa should be granted “mitigating circumstances.” Portrayed as the mastermind behind the operation, this Spaniard has, throughout the trial, provided extensive details on how he orchestrated the transportation of three tons of cocaine from Suriname to the Ivory Coast.
“He has cooperated with the justice system,” insists his counsel, who urges the court to apply the 2022 law on drug trafficking, as it is, according to him, “more lenient” than the 1988 law currently guiding the proceedings.
On the other hand, lawyers representing another accused individual, Commissioner Dosso Karamoko, argue that there is insufficient evidence in this case. They criticize the prosecution for relying primarily on the statements of one defendant: Miguel Devesa. “Dosso Karamoko was not involved in any stage of this trafficking,” emphasizes Attorney Guillaume Koffi. “He neither imported, participated in, nor sold narcotics,” he continues. “The prosecutor has not demonstrated that Dosso Karamoko, as a client, was aware of Miguel Devesa’s activities,” he concludes, urging the court to acquit his client.