Cameroon: Former Douala 4 SDF Mayor says detractors are powerless

Former Douala Four Council Mayor John DANGLE KUMASE who was discharged and acquitted by the Special criminal Court has said that his enemies will never succeed to bring him down. Mr KUMASE who made 15 trips to Yaoundé for the hearings at the special criminal court observed that those who wanted his head were within and outside the SDF party. Those within he added never wanted a strong political opponent especially during the election of a new president for SDF littoral bureau. Said former mayor Kumase, “Even some members from my own political party thought that it was a way for them to eliminate me from the SDF Littoral, but we are serving a living God, HE has accompanied me all through”.

The former mayor revealed he knew from the statements of the prosecuting witnesses that he would be freed. “From the beginning of this case, I felt that justice would be done". Kumase's trial was based on a three-count charge. It was alleged he embezzled FCFA 9,120,000 being rents from BICEC bank paid to the Council for using one of its facilities in 2008. He was also accused of swindling FCFA 32 million from a FCFA 90 million that the Douala City Council disbursed to the Douala IV to help during a clean-up campaign. The last charge was that Kumase embezzled FCFA 90 million being deductions from Council workers’ salaries for the National Social Insurance Fund. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence.