Judicial Bench of Supreme court:

Justice Epuli Mathias Commissioned

The first ever Anglophone to be appointed as President of the Judicial Bench of the Supreme Court has been commissioned into his functions. Chief Justice Epuli Mathias was installed on Wednesday 30 August 2017.

For the first time in the history of Cameroon, an Anglophone Judge with a common law background will preside over the judicial bench of the Supreme Court.

                Super-scale magistrate of the first category, Epuli Mathias Aloh was appointed to this coveted position by President Paul Biya, following the last session of the higher judicial council on 7 June 2017.

                The Anglophone legal luminary will therefore be presiding at the highest technical bench of the Supreme Court. The judicial bench entertains matters of substantive law of both the common law as well as civil law origins.

                Commentators say the appointment of an English speaking judge to head this very important bench is without gainsaying, a major political milestone in Cameroon; for, it shows that the powers that be have finally recognized the importance and especially the competence of common law judges in Cameroon. It also shows that the authorities now give equal status to English and French.

Born in 1952, Chief Justice Epuli Mathias Aloh is an alumnus of the Bilingual Grammar school Buea and the Federal University of Cameroon, Yaounde. After his Bachelor’s Degree in English Private Law, Epuli Mathias enrolled in the National Advanced school of Administration and magistracy, ENAM, graduating in 1978.

                Chief Justice Epuli was senior advocate at the South West Court of Appeal he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2000. He had held, albeit briefly, the post of Acting President of the Administrative Bench of the Supreme Court.

                In 2009 Justice Epuli was seconded to the National Anti-Corruption commission – CONAC, from where he returns to the Supreme Court as President of the Judicial Bench.

                Incidentally, Epuli’s appointment comes at a time when an autonomous common law bench has been created at the Supreme Court.

                A quite, soft-spoken, gentle and self-effacing persona, Justice Epuli is the Paramount ruler of the Bassosi people in Nguti Sub-division in Kupe Muanenguba division.

                He is married and a father of many children several of whom are magistrates.