4. After eight (8) days in custody, the Applicant and the three employees were arraigned before the Criminal Chamber of the Cotonou First Class Court of First Instance. By Judgment No. 262/1FD-16 of 4 November 2016, two of the employees were acquitted outright; but the Applicant and one of the employees were acquitted on the benefit of the doubt. 5. Two weeks later, the Customs Administration suspended the licence of the container terminal of the Societe de Courlage de Transit et de Consignation (SOCOTRAC). Then, on 28 November 2016, the High Authority for the Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) cut the signals of the radio station SOLEIL FM and those of the TV channel SIKKA TV. The Applicant has alleged that he is the majority shareholder in all these companies. 6. On 2 December 2016, the Applicant requested and obtained from the Registry of the Cotonou Criminal Chamber of the First Class Court of First Instance , an attestation that no appeal or complaint has been filed against the Judgment No. 262/1FD-16 of 4 November 2016. Furthermore, the Applicant avers that, in January 2017 , he learnt from rumours that the Prosecutor General had lodged an appeal against the said judgment, but that no notice thereof was served on him. 7. On 27 February 2017, believing that the issue of international drug trafficking and the subsequent proceedings were a "conspiracy" by the Respondent State against him and violated his rights guaranteed and protected by international human rights instruments, the Applicant decided to bring the case before this Court. 8. In October 2018 , following the establishment of a jurisdiction named "Cour de Repression des Infractions Economiques et du Terrorisme" (Anti-Economic Crimes and Terrorism Court hereinafter known as "CRIEr), the Applicant was once again tried by this new jurisdiction for the same crime of international drug trafficking and sentenced to twenty years in prison, and five million CFA Francs in fines with an international arrest warrant. The Applicant contended that this new procedure also violated his rights guaranteed by international human rights instruments and prayed this Court to find that there have been the said violations in the case already pendingb~e/* I 1/ 3 ' . ~~ ~