Richard Kwang Kometa
1 April 2008
Abah Abah and Olanguena Awono were picked up early yesterday by elements of the Police Special Unit in Yaounde.
Enquiries continued all day long yesterday at the Judicial Police Elig-Essono headquarters in Yaounde as the Former Minister of the Economy and Finance, Polycarpe Abah Abah and the Former Minster of Public Health, Urbain Olanguena Awono responded to questions in relation to their management of public funds and complicity while they were ministers. Both cases attracted curious onlookers and family members who crowded the vicinity of the Judicial Police headquarters all day to figure out the fate of the former ministers.
The episode, according to police and other sources in Yaounde, began at 5 a.m. when elements of the Special Police Operations Unit, GSO, visited the residences of both men with arrest warrants to pick them up. The police declined giving any official details on the charges being made against the two former ministers early in the morning. But by midday it was clear that the matter was the start of a long series that concerned others who are still to be picked up by the police. Names that filtered out for arrest during the day of yesterday were the former paymaster general of Yaounde, Etogo Mbezele, the Permanent Secretary of the National Committee for the Fight Against TB, Hubert Wang, the Permanent Secretary of the National AIDS Control Committee, Maurice Fezeu and the Permanent Secretary of the Malaria Control Committe, Raphael Okala. However, one police source expressed concern that public awareness on the arrests was such that others who were on their long list could escape.
Meanwhile, at the residences of both Abah Abah and Olanguena Awono yesterday, armed elements of the GSO were posted to prevent access to any member of the public who dared to visit. All attempts to talk to any of the family members of those arrested were prevented by the police elements. Be it at the Emana residence of Olanguena or the Odza residence of Abah Abah, the GSO elements referred Cameroon Tribune reporters to police hierarchy for any information saying they had no authorisation to talk to the press.
Among the curious onlookers at the Judicial Police who waited for the whole day were persons who had been highly involved with either of the former ministers while they were in service. Such persons not only carried much anxiety on their faces as they stood but smoked one cigarette after the other and emptied bottles of water, may be to cool off the pressure in them.
By 2p.m. family members of the two formers ministers made their appearance at the police station. Apart from the lawyers of the accused who were allowed access into the police station to see the accused, their close relations also went in and out of the police station that remained out of bounds for reporters throughout the day.
Remarkable arrivals at the scene were wives of both former ministers who came in at about 4:45p.m. It was the wife of Minister Abah Abah who came in first and as she was about to leave the police premises, Urbain Olanguena Awono's wife also arrived. She was shown the door to where her husband was. Less than ten minutes later, Olanguena came out dressed in a black suit and a tie with his hands in his pocket. He was then ushered into a crowded police pick-up escorted by another vehicle with over ten armed uniformed police personnel.
A phone call to the lawyer of Olanguena gave a clue to some of the facts of the case. The lawyer revealed that the former minister was being escorted to his Emana residence for some vital information and that documents had been signed for his eventual detention while investigations continue.
Abah Abah was still at the Judicial Police by 5:30p.m as CT reporters left the scene. He was also said to be awaiting trial for mismanaging value added tax money. The days ahead will certainly shed more light on the cases.
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It normal because we the youth together with unemployed Cameroonians suffer everyday because of money which are been grasps by some individuals.Even if they are arrested that does not still mean a problem has been solve.The question i ask is were is the money which are been recovered and what isn't use for.That money is taken and shared amongst the very government officials so it does not mean any thing to me because i see no change which is made with the money which is recovered.so dear brothers all we have to do is to pray for God to perform… [Read Full Text]
The arrest of former ministers charged for corruption is a good thing but yet not new for it happend to Ondo Ndong,Mounchipou and you name the rest.The question I keep on asking is when the misappropriated funds will be recovered and credited to the account of the public service. If this is done,I think New companies would be created and many youths will be employed and by this the unemployment rate will reduce and the Cameroon economy will regain shape.I must however congratulate the President Paul Biya for this continuous fight towards reviving and curbing of the rate of corruption… [Read Full Text]