Covid-19 Solidarity Fund:

Rene Sadi Ruffled By Embezzlement Allegation
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Yaounde

Rene Emmanuel Sadi

Communication Minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi has refuted media reports alleging that he received and mismanaged FCFA 8 billion from the funds meant to fight the COVID-19 in the country.
    In a disclaimer issued Wednesday 5 August 2020, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Communication, Prof. Felix Zogo, distanced the Minister from what he terms fictitious and truncated reports by some media organs. Zogo said the Ministry requested for FCFA 300 million from the government to permit it to adequately educate and inform the public about the virus, but only FCFA 100 million was disbursed.
    “The head of government instructed the Ministry of Finance on 27 March 2020 to disburse FCFA 100 million to the Ministry of Communication, representing just one third of the amount requested,” noted Zogo, adding that since then the ministry has never received any further funds on the COVID-19 account apart of that which was authorised by the PM.
    He said the requested sum was later raised to FCFA 420 million following the decree of the PM on 22 July 2020 relating to the financial allocations to certain institutions in government’s response plan to combat.
    “The Minister of Communication therefore considers these fictitious and truncated reports by some media organs in the country as blatant professional drift that deals a serious blow to the Cameroonian media thereby seriously denting its credibility,” Zogo said.
   

Journalist Sismondi Bidjoka

Zogo’s outing follows revelations of harassment made by a Yaounde-based journalist, Sismondi Barlev Bidjocka by two police officers at the Minister’s cabinet following a report he did on radio indicating the Minister had allegedly received FCFA 8 billion from the COVID-19 funds.
    The reporter said he was invited for questioning by the Minister through his Director of Private Media Observation only to be assaulted by security elements and later ferried to the General Delegation of National Security for further questioning all in a bid to force him disclose the source of his information. The Mincom has denied the journalist was sequestered or tortured.
    “Contrary to false allegations spread by the journalist, MINCOM has never received any billions; … neither this journalist, nor his children, was subjected to mistreatment, let alone sequestration in the office of the Minister of Communication,” Zogo said in his disclaimer.
However, in a social media report that went viral, the radio broadcaster declared that he was kidnapped and undressed by police officers in Minister Sadi’s office. He also claimed that he was molested on grounds to disclose the source of his information.
    He said “no matter what each has had in these solidarity funds, we will find out and say it.”
     Sismondi says he was undressed in front of his two kids by police elements in the Minister’s cabinet.