2024-03-27 18:34:54
This is explosive and exclusive information obtained by 237online.com. Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the all-powerful Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, ordered the restitution of property and assets seized from the former Minister of Water and Energy Basile Atangana Kouna. In a correspondence dated January 23, 2024 addressed to the Minister of Justice Laurent Esso, Ngoh Ngoh demands the “lifting of seizures on accounts and property” of the ex-money manager, invoking mysterious “ high instructions » by Paul Biya. A snub for Cameroonian justice and a spectacular turnaround in this twisted case.
A small fortune seized then returned
Because the assets confiscated from Basile Atangana Kouna by the Special Criminal Court (TCS) are colossal. Nearly a billion FCFA was lying dormant in his bank accounts, including 971,000 euros and 222,256 dollars at the BGFI Bank branch at Montée Ane Rouge in Yaoundé alone. Not to mention a veritable luxury automobile fleet, with an impressive collection of Mercedes, Lexus and other gleaming cars seized from his residences in Douala and Yaoundé.
A loot which was to be acquired by the State, the fruit of the anti-corruption crusade which had sent the former minister to prison in 2019 on charges of massive embezzlement of public funds. But against all expectations, Basile Atangana Kouna was released on the sly on July 29, 2022, benefiting from a stay of prosecution again “on very high instructions”. Having since settled in France, he is preparing to recover his money and his gleaming engines. A jackpot falling from the sky.
The omnipotence of Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh
This incredible affair highlights above all the absolute power of Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, a true shadow vice-president who now seems to distribute the good and bad points at the top of the State. Against the advice of the Minister of Justice who did not follow up on his injunction, “Efferein” managed to bend the judicial system to clear Basile Atangana Kouna and return his ill-gotten assets.
A show of force which risks further undermining the credibility of the operation “ Sparrowhawk » supposed to track embezzlement of public funds. How can we still believe in the fight against corruption when the highest authorities are working to bring those accused back into the saddle? A scathing admission of failure for this exceptional justice system which increasingly appears as an instrument for settling scores in the service of the Etoudi palace.
The specter of justice with variable geometry
Beyond the Atangana Kouna case, the entire opaque and arbitrary functioning of Cameroonian justice is being singled out. A justice of variable geometry which seems to obey more the wishes of power than the general interest. Where sensitive files are handled on the sly in the secrecy of cabinets, according to the interests and clan struggles that are played out in high places.
A system that brings discredit to the entire judicial institution and undermines the confidence of citizens. How can we believe in a rule of law when the powerful can play with the laws with the complicity of the highest levels of the State? The entire republican pact is weakened by these little arrangements between friends which have nothing to do with the law.
The Atangana Kouna affair is unfortunately only the latest avatar of a deep evil which is plaguing Cameroonian governance. An evil which can only be stemmed by a radical overhaul of the system, to establish true independence of justice and increased citizen control over public action. In the meantime, voices are being raised to demand explanations for this privilege granted to a former minister who embezzled billions. The rule of law is at this price. And it is non-negotiable.