UNHCR recommends end to Paul Eric Kingue’s detention

A Paul Eric Kingue support group has published a decision passed by the UN High Commission for Human Rights. The UN body was responding to a November 12, 2012 petition from Paul Eric Kingue who is currently at the New Bell Prison, Douala.

A notification to that effect was signed on October 24, 2014 and sent to the complainant who has been in jail since 2008.

His defence team argued that there was the non respect of articles 3, 40, and 41 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which states that persons under judicial scrutiny must be informed about their charges. In addition, Mr Kingue was arrested in 2008 without a warrant of arrest.

The UN High Commission for Human Rights wrote to the Cameroon government on December 23, 2013 for clarifications. Yaounde contested on March 13, 2014 and attested that the procedure was transparent.

That notwithstanding, the UN’s 70th working session on arbitrary detention has addressed a statement to the Cameroon government. Adopted on August 29, 2014, the document qualifies the detention of Mr Kingue as “arbitrary”. This is in accordance to category I and III as defined by paragraph 8 of the council’s procedures, it confirmed.

The session has therefore suggested an end to this situation with the payment of damages to the victim. It should be noted that Mr Kingue is requesting the sum of FCFA 7 billion in a case that was dropped by the court for the embezzlement of FCFA 10 million when he was Mayor of Njombe Penja.

UN High Commission for Human Rights is the same organ that put pressure on the Cameroon government for the successful liberation of Thierry Michel Atangana and Pierre Désiré Engo.