By means of fake identity cards made available by the network manager, they were paid undue salaries.
The verdict was handed down on June 28, 2021. After three years of trial, the Special Criminal Court (SCC) delivered its verdict in the case of Public Prosecutor and State of Cameroon against Nathan Eba Ndjana and Cie. The five defendants receive heavy prison sentences. This is Nathan Eba Ndjana, youth and animation advisor at the Ministry of Youth and Civic Education, the mastermind of the case. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Its network manager, Simon Pierre Ambolé, on duty at the Yaoundé General Treasury, was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was responsible for issuing false identity cards to their accomplices.
The court also sentenced the named Idili Onam Thomas, Seleck Claudine Chanase and Moualé Elisabeth to 13 years, 11 and 10 years’ imprisonment respectively. They were issued a warrant of committal at the hearing for the execution of their sentence. The court ordered the disqualifications of article 30 of the Penal Code to be applied against them. They must return to the State of Cameroon, each as far as it is concerned, the amount embezzled, that is to say a total amount of 73 million FCFA. The condemned had 48 hours from the present judgment, to lodge an appeal in cassation before the Supreme Court.
The five officials were presented to the Special Criminal Court on April 23, 2019 to be judged for embezzlement of public property and complicity. Recruited at Minfi in 2011, Simon Pierre Ambolé was at the time of the events (2013-2017), in service at the General Treasury of Yaoundé (expenditure department). His role in the network was to establish fake identity cards for certain well-targeted relationships. This first step taken, intervened Eba Ndjana, the brain of the network. An executive at Minjec at the time of the events, he had easy access to the SIGIPES site of this public entity.
Provided with real-false authentic documents, the named Idili, Seleck and Moualé fraudulently received undue wages in place of the real beneficiaries of cash vouchers. Eba Ndjana and Ambolé pocketed the big money for their compensation, the small fry went to their three accomplices. As no crime was perfect, the merry-go-round was discovered by two victims, teachers. The interested parties will seize the competent service of the Minfi. Subsequently, the specialized body of judicial police officers (JPO) of the SCC will be alerted. During the preliminary investigation, the defendants confessed to the facts and each went their own way. All the convicts have been placed under remand in custody at Yaoundé / Kondengui central prison since December 11, 2017.
