Togo: Nine pirates brought to justice, one still at large

Security

Wednesday, 07 July 2021 13:37

Togo: Nine pirates brought to justice, one still at large

(Togo First) - Lomé’s Court of Appeal sanctioned, last Monday, nine pirates with heavy jail sentences and fines. The culprits were brought to justice for trying to hijack - on the night of May 11-12, 2019 - the G-Dona 1 tanker, a Togo-flagged vessel owned by a Beninese shipowner.

The crew’s leader - a Nigerian named Peter Paul - received a 15- year sentence, a five-year entry ban in Togo, and a CFA 50 million fine.

Six other members who took part in the attempted hijacking were each sentenced to 12 years in jail. In addition, the non-Togolese among them received a five-year entry ban in the country while the Togolese were deprived of their civil rights. The six of them also have to pay a CFA 25 million fine, each, for damages caused.

One of the pirates, a Ghanaian, still at large, was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison and a CFA 50 million fine. The last of the nine pirates, a Togolese, was acquitted.

As this trial affirms, Togo remains committed to curbing maritime insecurity - an objective which had led its government to hold, in October 2016, an African summit on maritime security, safety, and development.

Esaïe Edoh

REFORMS OVERVIEW

STARTING A BUSINESS (more info)

At the fifteenth position, worldwide, and first in Africa, under the Starting a Business index of the 2020 Doing Business ranking, Togo sustains its reformative dynamics with more reforms….

ENFORCING CONTRACTS (more info)

Compared to some years ago when it was one of the lowest rankers under the Doing Business’ Enforcing Contracts indicator, Togo, leveraging many efforts to improve its business climate, was able to jump significantly on the index in the recent years... .

CONTRACT EXECUTION (more info)

Creation of special chambers of commerce for small debts • Creation of chambers of commerce at the Court of Appeal • Civil and commercial cases now handled by distinct clerks • Establishment of commercial courts in Lomé and Kara • Lawyers and bailiffs now have access to the FORSETI COMMERCIAL platform • A maximum period of 100 days was fixed to settle a commercial dispute .

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In comparison to previous years,Togo has significantly improved its ranking under the“Trading across borders” indicator by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (more info)

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GETTING ELECTRICITY (more info)

Over the past two years, Togo’s ranking under the Doing Business’ Getting electricity and water indicator has increased consistently. Owing this performance to multiple reforms aimed at making it easier for businesses to access power and water, Lomé plans to introduce even more reforms this year to keep up its improvements.

REGISTERING A PROPERTY (more info)

Out of all the 'Doing Business’ indicators, Property Registration is where Togo has improved the most since 2018. Indeed, after spending years in the lowest part of this ranking, the country now seeks to beat Rwanda which is the best performer on this index in Africa. To do so, Lomé has been introducing many reforms, with the latest batch implemented this year.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT (more info)

From professionalization to digitization, through legislative regulations, Togo’s public procurement framework is constantly being modernized. Several reforms have been implemented to improve the sector much to the benefit of the private sector, which is the focus of the National Development Plan.

PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

To improve its business environment, Togo introduced some important reforms related to the payment of tax and duties. From the replacement of some taxes to the cancellation of others through exemptions, the country has only one objective: offer the most attractive tax framework to investors and economic operators. To achieve this, the authorities relied on digitization.