Politics

Cameroon former finance minister has been notified of more charges against him coming from the Special Criminal Court. Cameroon Concord understands that the charges are related to the Gervais Mendo Ze Affair, former general manager of the state owned radio and television. Absent for health reasons in the first two hearings of the prosecution case against the former Minister of Finance, Prof. Gervais Mendo Ze, former GM of the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) and other co-defendants including Polycarpe Abah Abah the accused were jointly and severally presented the charges before judges at the Special Criminal Court. 

During the third hearing, the chairman Justice Yap Abdou read the file revealing that Polycarpe Abah Abah was accused again of misappropriation and coercion involving the sum of 205 873 000 FCFA with the former DG of CRTV, Gervais Mendo Ze. The charges against the defendants dated back to the period January 1, 2004 to the 26th January 2005. The period during which it was alleged the former GM of CRTV fraudulently obtained over 18 billion FCFA. In response to these accusations, the former MINFI pleaded not guilty, just like the other accused at the first hearing. Concerning the participation of witnesses, Abah Abah and Co presented at the hearing eleven witnesses. A number that President Abdou Yap harmonized to five. He asked them to make a consensus choice. It was on that note that the hearing was suspended to be resumed on the 26th and 28th of January 2016.

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Ngwa Bertrand

16.Jan.2016

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Lawyers for Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto asked judges to throw out charges against him at the International Criminal Court on Thursday, saying witness withdrawals had left the prosecution's case in tatters. Ruto, present at the hearing in The Hague, faces crimes against humanity charges stemming from the ethnic violence that followed Kenya's 2007 presidential election in which 1,200 people died. 

The ICC has suffered a number of setbacks in its Kenya cases, the highest-profile dossiers on its docket. Prosecutors withdrew charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta last year, saying witness withdrawals had left them without a case. Ruto's lawyers argued the withdrawal of six prosecution witnesses left prosecutors making allegations unrelated to their assertion that he conspired to drive opposition supporters from their homes. "The foundations of the case are gone," Karim Khan said. "Every last one of them."

Prosecutors no longer alleged that planning meetings took place at which financial, military and political backers coordinated attacks under Ruto's leadership, he said. "It makes a good story for an opening speech, but what's happened to this network?" he asked. Prosecutors argued earlier this week that there was still sufficient evidence to proceed with the case.

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Ngwa Bertrand

15.Jan.2016

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It is common knowledge nowadays that most road construction and maintenance projects carried out nationwide, fall short of national and international expectations in terms of quality. More so, abandoned road projects abound. During the 19th session of the National Road Board that held on January the 12th, 2016 at the Star Building in Yaounde under the chairmanship of Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang, members recommended that road companies be henceforth classified after a diagnosis was made of obstacles that mar the development of a befitting road infrastructure in the country. Highlights of the session included two detailed presentation by the Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, on the obstacles to the smooth execution of road infrastructure projects and on the institution of performance contracts with road construction companies. 

The Permanent Secretary of the Board, Issofa Moumbain Matapit, disclosed that besides poor quality roads, other prominent obstacles mentioned included incomplete studies before road projects are undertaken, incapacity of some road construction companies to perform the contracts they are awarded, compensation after expropriation, the high cost of raw materials and the financing of the National Road Fund. The Prime Minister in a typical CPDM pattern advised that several edicts were under preparation in his services to solve most of the problems raised. “Road construction companies will be classified into five groups to prevent companies from bidding for contracts that they cannot execute,” said the Permanent Secretary.

The Board also recommended a Second Generation Road Fund with an autonomous funding while the Prime Minister requested to be updated on the acquisition of quarry sites in Cameroon to see into the cost of road construction raw materials. During the session, it was also announced that over a thousand kilometres of tarred road will be constructed within the framework of preparations for the female and male versions of the African Cup of Nations tournament scheduled for 2016 and 2019 respectively in Cameroon.

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Ngwa Bertrand

15.Jan.2016

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Joseph Beti Assomo made the call yesterday January 11, 2016 while receiving New Year wishes from the personnel of the Ministry of Defence. The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo has called on the Defence Forces to uphold discipline which constitutes the principal force of the Army. He was speaking yesterday January 11, 2016 at the esplanade of the Ministry of Defence in Yaounde while receiving best wishes of 2016 from the staff of his ministry. Joseph Beti Assomo said the courage, loyalty, vigour, honour and professionalism exhibited by the military in the fight against the terrorist sect, Boko Haram, should continue in 2016 until victory against the enemy is attained. The Minister Delegate in charge of Defence saluted the bravery and determination of the defence forces in combating Boko Haram while paying homage to soldiers who were killed in the war front against Boko Haram and in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. 

The Defence Forces, he added, will not only pursue the fight against the Boko Haram insurgent in 2016 but will also continue with resilience to combat maritime piracy, highway robbery, cyber criminality, maintenance of law and order amongst others so as to permit the country live in peace and security for economic growth to thrive. Minister Beti Assomo condemned in very strong terms, public demonstrations by military personnel last September prescribing secrecy and discreet in military affairs. “The military has to abstain from public demonstration”, he cautioned while promising sanctions to perpetrators. The New Year wishes ceremony that was void of handshakes attended by the Secretaries of State in charge of the National Gendarmeries and Ex-servicemen and War Victims, Jean Baptiste Bokom and Koumpa Issa respectively was also an opportunity for the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Rene Claude Meka to salute the determination and courage of the soldiers in defending the national territory. While paying tribute to the fallen soldiers and civilian victims, Lieutenant General Meka urged the Defence Forces to combat the enemy with their last energy while upholding discipline which he described as a mobilisation force in the army.

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Ngwa Bertrand

12.Jan.2016

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Circa 205 Nigerian men, women and children residing in the Mayo-Sava Division in the Far North region fleeing the atrocities of Boko Haram have been repatriated to Nigeria. Correspondingly, some 250 Cameroonian hostages previously held by the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram were freed during a joint commando operation by the Cameroonian and Nigerian forcess. The Cameroonian hostages including six babies who were taken prisoners since July 2015 are now being supported in health infrastructure in the Far North region. It is vital to include in this report that several young children were forcibly recruited into the ranks of Boko Haram during the early stage of the conflict.

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Ngwa Bertrand

11.Jan.2016

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The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) murdered former US President John F. Kennedy to ensure that America maintains a permanent war agenda, an author and political analyst in Chicago says. “Long-standing US policy remains the same no matter who is the head of state. America isn’t the two-party nation, it’s a one-party state; it’s a duopoly run by powerful moneyed interests,” Stephen Lendman told Press TV on Sunday. “The policies always stay the same with one exception. Each succeeding administration seems to be worse than the preceding one. You could go back, with one administration after another,” he said. “And the only exception in my lifetime was the days of Kennedy in the early 1960s.

A man who transformed themselves from a warrior into a peacemaker, and because of that the CIA murdered him, just to be sure that America maintains a permanent war agenda,” he added. Lendman said if Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump “becomes president, America would be at war from the day one to his last day in office, maybe even to a greater extent than Obama.” “It seems hard to believe. Obama’s agenda exceeded the worst of George Bush… and whoever succeeds Obama will exceed the worst of his agenda, both abroad geopolitically and at home,” he stated. “At home, US human rights and civil liberties are being systemically destroyed, as America increasingly becomes a police state, with no exaggeration whatever.

Anybody can test that argument by simply looking at the laws on the books. And there is only one conclusion you can draw: these are police state laws, freedom-destroying laws. This is what’s going on at home,” he continued. “Abroad, America has a long-standing permanent war agenda. And we can see how it played out,” he said. Lendman went on to say that “North Korea did not attack the South. The South, the fascistic and Stalinist regime, and Harry Truman attack the North and blamed the North for their crimes.” On Saturday, Trump praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for how he “wipes out” his political opponents. The outspoken billionaire businessman said it was "incredible" that Kim has managed to consolidate his grip on power after his father Kim Jong-il died in 2011.

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Ngwa Bertrand

11.Jan.2016

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