Koup ela: The seven convicted in the Medah Aniatisa Urbain case and nine others have appealed the decision rendered by the correctional chamber of the High Court of Koup ela on February 24, 2026, as has the prosecution, which is contesting certain sentences deemed insufficient as well as the acquittals pronounced, AIB learned on Friday.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the seven defendants convicted in this case filed an appeal on the same day the judgment was handed down, according to a judicial source contacted by AIB. As a reminder, of the ten people prosecuted in this case, only three were acquitted, including the Attorney General Jean-Jacques Ou edraogo, the customs officer Seydou Traor e, and the lawyer Arnaud Samp ebr e.

For its part, the prosecution also filed an appeal a few days after the court's decision. This appeal concerns both the sentences handed down and the acquittals granted to the three defendants. The prosecution believes that the sanctions imposed are not commensurate with the seriousness of the alleged offenses.

As a reminder, during its closing arguments, the prosecution had requested sentences of at least twelve months' imprisonment for the defendants. However, in its judgment, the court handed down sentences of fifteen months' imprisonment, including two months of actual imprisonment, to some of the defendants. Through this appeal, the public prosecutor hopes that the Court of Appeal will recognize the guilt of all the defendants and impose harsher sentences on those found guilty.

The debates are therefore expected to continue before the Court of Appeal of Fada N'Gourma in the coming days.