A special anti-corruption body in Burkina Faso has reignited a four-year-old case involving customs officers accused of extorting truck drivers. The Korag, established last year to oversee the country’s strategic vision during its transition, released a detailed statement revealing irrefutable evidence such as cash seizures from the officers’ homes and offices, witness testimonies, and footage of the alleged extortion.

Despite this overwhelming evidence, the suspects were acquitted—a decision the junta condemns as a “judicial farce” and “serious dysfunction in the justice system and witness protection.” The military-led government accuses an attorney and ten senior judges from the Ouagadougou Court of Appeal of accepting bribes to secure the acquittals and disclose the identities of key witnesses.

In response, the authorities arrested the magistrates last month and vowed to impose disciplinary measures on all complicit judicial figures, while also reserving the right to pursue criminal charges. The Korag emphasized that such actions are necessary to restore public trust in Burkina Faso’s anti-graft efforts and protect the integrity of the legal system.