After 2nd October cabinet reshuffle:

Spectacular anti-corruption arrests in view

Sources at the Special Criminal Court have hinted The Median that the corruption files of some ministers who were sacked in the 2nd October 2015 cabinet reshuffle have been completely treated and their arrest is now just a matter of time. We also learned that more VIP cells have been prepared in the Kondengui prison, waiting to be occupied.

How art the mighty fallen! How does it feel like to be minister yesterday and prisoner today? This is the fate that awaits some of the ministers who were sacked from government in the 2 October 2015 cabinet shake-up.

                Our sources revealed to us that the corruption files of Essimi Menye Lazare, (former minister of Agriculture), Jean Pierre Biyiti bi Essam (former MINPOSTEL), Patrice Amba Salla (former MINTP) and Catherine Bakang Mbock (former MINAS) have already been treated; only a nod of the supreme magistrate of the republic, President Paul Biya, is now awaited to get them arrested.

                Apart from these, reports say Ama Tutu Muna, former minister of Culture, is also being probed on her management of the special financial allocations for development of culture that were put at her disposal.

                Then another former minister of Public Works, Messengue Avom Bernard, has already appeared many times before the examining magistrate of the special criminal court; his eventual arrest is awaited anytime soon, we learnt.

                All these bigwigs are accused of embezzlement or complicity to embezzlement of state money. Our sources said the recent appointment of a new procureur-general at the special criminal court was with the objective of accelerating the treatment of the corruption files of the said high-profile personalities.

                While installing Chief Justice Justine Aimée Ngounou Tchokonthieu into her functions on 9 October 2015, the Attorney-General of the republic, Minister of State for Justice, Laurent Esso urged her to settle immediately to effective work and make sure she applies only her conscience and the law in treating all the files that come before her.

                It should be noted that before his sacking from the Ministry of Agriculture, EssimiMenye was already being interrogated in connection to the disappearance of over 9 billion FCFA generated from the liquidation of the defunct Amity Bank. He was summoned on several occasions to the cabinet of the Minister of Justice to answer questions from examining magistrates.

                Essimi Menye is also expected to clear the air on a matter concerning the Cameroon Tobacco Company (SCT) in which over 50 million CFA is said to be involved.

                It is worthy of mention that even though he now says he is very sick, Essimi Menye has been barred from travelling abroad to get medical attention. It is believed that if allowed to travel out he may never return to the country. He is presently admitted at the CNPS Hospital in Yaounde ostensibly because of an acute cardio-vascular-related ailment.

                As for Biyiti bi Essam, he is expected to answer charges in connection to the swindling of over 3 billion FCFA while he was serving as secretary general of the ministry of Posts and Telecommunication. Biyiti may also answer questions on his handling of over 250 million FCFA that was meant for media coverage of the Pope’s visit to Cameroon in 2008. Biyiti was said to have lodged the money in his private account, evoking security reasons.

                For her part, Catherine Bakang Mbock may have to answer questions relating to her management of funds allocated for social projects under the HIPC initiative. She is also alleged to have siphoned money meant for the rehabilitation of street children in major cities, and even bonuses meant for the staff of her ministry for some special work done.

                Reports say after a control team from the Supreme State Audit visited her in 2014, she was very sure that she would be sacked as minister and eventually indicted. For this reason, she took away most of her paraphernalia from the ministry even before the 2 October cabinet reshuffle. 

                We learnt that apart from recently sacked ministers, the files of other former ministers and GMs of state corporations are also being examined. Some of the names cited include those of Jean William Sollo – GM of Camwater, Théodore Nsangou of EDC, Amadou Vamoulke of CRTV, among others.