Sékongo Tannignigui, deputy director of the fight against fraud has lifted a corner of the veil on the situation of fraud suffered by the Ivorian Electricity Company (CIE). In Côte d'Ivoire, 3.736 electricity fraudsters who have paid their bills have been released, while 107 others have been referred over the period from January to July 2021, a total of 3.843 fraudsters.

According to Sékongo Tannignigui, for the fraud on electricity, from January to the end of July 2021, in Côte d'Ivoire 3,843 fraudsters were arrested. "In Abidjan, we are at 2,266 fraudsters and the interior of the country, 1,577 fraudsters. There are factories that are also involved in fraud. Regarding arrests, the rate in the peri-urban areas is slightly higher than in the structured areas. On the other hand, the consumption of fraud in the structured neighborhoods is high," he said. Fraud affects all social strata. In 2020, 5,141 fraudsters were arrested in Abidjan and in the interior of the country. There are three main groups of fraudsters: illicit electricity resellers who connect to the electricity network and distribute electricity; fences; and CIE clients. From January 1 to July 31, 2021, 107 people were referred, including three CIE agents, 28 CIE customers, 07 resellers, 45 fences and 24 other people. During the year 2020, 103 individuals were referred, of whom 97 were convicted. One CIE agent, 11 CIE clients, 11 dealers, 68 fences and six other individuals were involved in these crimes.