Turmoil in Cameroon Bar Association:

Nico Halle & Ngnie Kamga Dragged to Court for Incompetence, Dictatorship

Bamenda-based lawyer, Acha Collins Ndeh, has filed a suit at the Bamenda High Court, against the President of the Cameroon Bar General Assembly and the President of the Bar Council, accusing the two of illegally staying in office beyond their mandate, incompetence in office and dictatorship among others. Nico Halle has dismissed the accusations as “rubbish” and “of no consequence”.

By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde

Nico Halle

International peace crusader, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, who doubles as president of the Cameroon Bar General Assembly, has come to the spotlight once again, but this time for the wrong reasons. Nico Halle and the President of the Cameroon Bar Council have been dragged before the Bamenda High Court Judge, by a member of the Cameroon Bar Association, Barrister Acha Collins Ndeh Esq.

            In an ‘Originating Summons’ tabled on 3 May 2018, at the Bamenda Court through the registrar-in-chief of the Court, Barrister Acha Collins is praying the “Honorable Court” to cause Nico Halle and Ngnie Kamga (the 1st and 2nd defendants respectively) to appear before the court and explain whether by virtue of section 47(1)  and (2) of law No. 90/059 of 19 December1990 organizing practice at the Bar and Article 4 of the internal regulations of the Bar, it is legal and proper for them to stay in their respective offices for more than 3 years without convening the General Assembly of the Bar at least once every year as mandatorily ordained by the laws and regulations in force.

            Barrister Acha Collins also wants Nico Halle and Gnie Kamga to in their respective capacities answer whether by virtue of article 52(1) and (2) of law No. 90/059 of 10 December 1990 to organize practice at the Bar and Article 8, 9 and 12 of the internal regulations of the Bar, they should continue in office after the expiry of their mandates since over one year ago.

            Nico Halle and Gnie Kamga were elected as President of the Bar General Assembly and President of the Bar Council respectively, on the 31st of January 2015, for a two-year mandate renewable.

            But Barrister Acha notes that the two defendants have continued in office until today, even though their mandates expired on 31st January 2017.

           

Acha Collins Ndeh,

Reason why he is praying the court to pass the following declaratory judgments if the answers by the two defendants to the questions above are in the negative: That the failure of the defendants as President of the Bar General assembly and President of Bar Council, to cause a general assembly to be convened at least once a year since 2015 that they took office in their respective capacities, is illegal, an abuse of office, a non respect due process and a mark of incompetence in office, and that by continuously staying in office after their mandates had expired over one year ago, and without taking any steps to have their mandates renewed once, if at all, as required by the law, is illegal, dictatorial, and an abuse of office and power, and that they no longer have the mandate so to act in their various capacities.

            Barrister Acha is also praying the Court to grant reliefs to members of the Bar Association by compelling the two defendants to take urgent and necessary steps to convene an elective general assembly of the bar in accordance with section 48-1 of law no. 90/059 of 19 December 1990 and article 6 of the internal rules of the bar, and for the court to make any other orders it may deem fit and proper to make in the circumstances.

            When The Median contacted Nico Halle to react to the accusations and the summons, he wasted no time to dismiss the action by Barrister Acha Collins as ‘rubbish’ and of no consequence. Nico Halle said it was a machination intended to destroy his public image and integrity.

            He explained he has always wanted to call a general assembly of the Bar Association but each time one or more reasons force him to drop the idea.

           

Ngnie Kamga

The straight-talking legal luminary and drum-major for peace, justice and equity said since he inherited the office of Bar General Assembly President the coffers of the Association have been empty thus making it impossible to convene a GA, not to mention an elective GA.

            Nico Halle regretted that he took over as President of the Bar General Assembly at about the same time that the Anglophone crisis started rearing its ugly head, and when some Anglophone lawyers started agitating and clamoring for change and even advocating the creation of a separate Common Law Bar.

            “How could someone reasonably expect me to convene a general assembly under such threatening circumstances. How could I convene a general assembly when Anglophone lawyers were on a sit in strike that lasted for over one year?” Nico Halle asked rhetorically, further regretting that the escalation of violence and insecurity in the country and the two Anglophone regions in particular, has not helped situations for him.

            In a discernibly vexatious tone, Nico Halle recalled that upon taking office on 31st December 2015, he swore he would not go beyond one mandate. But he regretted that because of a ‘force majeure’ he has been forced to stay on against his wish.

            He wondered what benefits he is making as President of the Bar GA as to warrant him to want to hang on to the position.

“I am virtually using my personal money to run activities of the Bar Association. So why would I hang on to a position that is only putting a hole to my private pocket,” Nico Halle wondered aloud, questioning why Barrister Acha Collins and others who reason like him have not seen the need to use other openings provided by the same laws he is citing to cause the GA to be convened.

            He said by virtue of the internal regulations, a two thirds majority of the members can convene the GA. Also, the minister of Justice can convene the GA if circumstances so warrant.

            Reacting to Nico Halle’s series of alibi, a lawyer who preferred to stay anonymous said the excuses were lame, weak, escapist and falls flat in the face of the legality, justice and equity that Nico Halle claims to be crusading for.

            He questioned why Nico Halle should evoke empty coffers when the Bar has organized training seminars for young lawyers, two international conferences and the recent Bar exams whose results have been variously described as scandalous. The lawyer also wondered how the Bar was able to organize the recent re-opening in Yaounde, where foreign lawyers were invited and lodged in expensive hotels for days.

            “So who is fooling who?” wondered the lawyer who concluded that Nico Halle and Ngnie Kamga are simply taking advantage of the crisis in Anglophone Cameroon to perpetuate their stay in power and to continue with their self-aggrandizement schemes.

            All our efforts to get to the Bar Council President, Jackson Gnie Kamga, were futile. We still hope to get him to talk as the debacle unfolds.