Ouagadougou: The Court continued on Tuesday the examination of the case file in the trial opposing the public prosecutor to Ye Camille, Laure Zongo Hein and others, with the hearing of the defendant Sompagniminde Ismaël Ouedraogo prosecuted for having manipulated funds of fraudulent origin used to purchase plots of land.According to Burkina Information Agency, the defendant is accused of having taken money of fraudulent origin to acquire plots of land, knowing that the funds were illicit. When questioned by the prosecutor's office about whether he was aware of the fraudulent origin of the money, Sompagniminde Ismaël Ouedraogo replied in the negative. "No, madam, the minister told me to go and collect her money, that's all. As a merchant, I couldn't possibly know I was transporting fraudulent money. I was simply carrying out an errand," he stated.The prosecution, however, noted elements it considered troubling. It argued that the defendant's refusal to deposit the money in the bank should have raised red f lags. The prosecution also argues that Mr. Ouedraogo's refusal to sign a release regarding the money demonstrates that he knew the funds had a fraudulent origin.The defendant nevertheless admitted that when withdrawing the money, he knew that the Ministry of Social Action had a contract with the person from whom the funds were taken. According to the prosecution, the money was used to acquire two buildings attributed to Minister Laure Zongo Hein. She denies these allegations, maintaining that her real estate was acquired through her salary, income from her farm, and support from friends and family members.