Jeannette Marafa finally breaks the silence on husband's sentence

Jeannette Marafa, wife of detained former Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, Marafa Hamidou Yaya, has decided to break years of silence over the sentence of her husband. She is claiming his innocence and contrary to popular opinion, she asserts that the scheme to throw the father of her children in jail began in 2012 when he was apprehended.

In what was described as “a marathon court session,” the Mfoundi High Court convicted Marafa and Co of corruption charges on September 22, 2012, in the case of the Government of Cameroon vs. Marafa Hamidou Yaya, Fotso Michel Yves, Kounda Julienne, Sandjon Geneviève, Chapuis Jean-Louis, Assene Nkou.

All the accused received heavy sentences ranging from 10 to 25 years: Marafa, Fotso and Jean-Marie Nkou received 25 years, Jean-Marie Chapuis, former CEO of the Fotso-owned Commercial Bank Cameroon (CBC), and his collaborator Genevieve Sandjon - 15 years, and Julienne Kounda, former Assistant CEO of CBC - 10 years. They were jointly fined 21 billion Francs CFA ($42 million) in damages and interest to the state, plus more than 1 billion Francs CFA ($2 million) in costs.

Speaking during a debate on the pan-African radio, Africa N ° 1, Jeannette stated that: “The charge levied on him - intellectual complicity- does not exist in Cameroonian criminal law and even French. This is because one of the accused was considered a friend of my husband. While handing down his judgment, the judge even specified that there was nothing incriminating my husband. However, since he knew Mr. Fotso since 1993, he was also convicted.”

She explained that her husband played no role in the ‘Albatros’ affaire. Albatros is the name of the presidential plane, whose controversial purchase led Mafara and co to jail. “He (Mafara) is not the one who took the decision to release about US$30 million allocated for the plane, but the former Minister of Finance, Michel Meva'a Meboutou, who has never been questioned. It is not he (Marafa) who took the decision to order another aircraft than that originally chosen. My husband had no hand in all of these,” she explained.

The mother of three who fled to Paris on the eve of her Hunband’s arrest for fear of her life and that of her children disclosed that the plan to have Marafa arrested started years before he was ferried to prison in Yaounde. She said, for example, that on February 9, 2010 - in a private chat with the former U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon, Janet E. Garvey, Marafa told the diplomat that President Paul Biya uses the anti-corruption campaign called "Operation Sparrow Hawk" to repress his collaborators and that “I (Marafa) can find myself in prison.’ The conversation was later leaked by WikiLeaks.

She still recalls the downfall of her husband as if it was yesterday. Jeannette said it started in early April 2012 when her husband expressed the wish to take a vacation in France since he was no longer a minister. She said the husband was verbally informed by the presidency that President Biya has given a nod, but he insisted he wanted it in writing.

“While still waiting for permission to leave the territory, someone called from abroad to let him know that his arrest was imminent. His local contacts confirm the information. On April 14, 2012, he received two summonses from two different investigation units. He was invited to appear on April 16, 2012 before the judge,” she disclosed. Little did Marafa know that after meeting the judge that fateful day, that he would be ferried straight to Kondengui prison.

Jeannette Marafa hopes that Cameroon judges will correct their ‘errors ‘and acquit her husband just like what was done in the case of Edouard Etondé Ekoto, acquitted by the Supreme Court in Yaoundé recently after initially sentencing him to 20 years in prison for embezzlement.