A Chadian appeals court has sentenced Idriss Youssouf Boy, the former chief of staff to President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, to seven years in prison on corruption charges linked to the alleged embezzlement of public funds.
The case stems from a complaint filed in January by businessman Aboud Hashem Badr, accusing Boy — a close friend and relative of the president — of misappropriating about XAF 9 billion (nearly $16m) over two years. The funds were reportedly earmarked for infrastructure projects in eastern Chad.
Boy denied receiving the full amount, admitting instead to borrowing “only one billion” CFA francs from Chad Service, a company owned by Badr. In May, a lower court sentenced him to five years in prison; the appeals court has now increased the sentence to seven years.
In a twist, the court also sentenced Badr to seven years on charges of corruption and bribery, issuing an international arrest warrant against him, Boy’s lawyer, Laghir Ndjirarandi, told AFP.
Boy served as special assistant to President Déby from April 2021 until June 2022, when he was dismissed following separate allegations of embezzlement from Chad’s hydrocarbons company.
The high-profile case underscores the Déby administration’s ongoing struggle with transparency and public trust, as Chad continues to battle entrenched corruption within its political elite.
