Allegations of widespread corruption have been brought to light by the Korag, an oversight body established last year in Burkina Faso. This institution is tasked with “monitoring the execution of the nation’s strategic vision” throughout the transitional period. In a detailed statement, Korag revisited a four-year-old case involving customs officers accused of extorting money from truck drivers seeking to cross borders.

According to the newly formed body, investigators possess indisputable material evidence of this illicit scheme. This includes substantial cash discovered in the officers’ workplaces and residences, along with witness testimonies and video footage capturing them in the act of solicitation.

Despite the compelling evidence, the accused individuals were granted a dismissal of charges, a decision heavily criticized by the junta. The transitional government now alleges that an attorney and ten senior magistrates from the Ouagadougou Court of Appeal accepted bribes to secure the release of the customs officers and expose the identities of key witnesses.

Korag vehemently described these events as a “judicial charade” and a “severe breakdown in the justice system and witness protection protocols.” These findings were deemed sufficient to warrant the arrest of the implicated magistrates last month. The junta has affirmed its commitment to upholding “disciplinary measures against corrupt members of the judiciary, alongside pursuing criminal charges.”