Who is obstructing Atanga Nji’s prosecution?

The Minister of Special Duties at the Presidency of the Republic, Paul Atanga Nji, has failed twice to honour a summons from the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde on claims that President Paul Biya did not give him clearance to face justice.

The Court, The Post learnt, is hell bent on prosecuting the Minister for alleged embezzlement of public funds at the Cameroon Postal Services between 2004 and 2010.

As a businessman at the time, running an enterprise called Ets. des Jeunes Hommes d’Affaires, Atanga Nji is reported to have been part of a racket that enabled him to line his pockets with FCFA 300 million of public funds.

The case file is based on the 2011 reports of the National Anti-corruption Commission, CONAC, and the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court that revealed that the money was illegally paid to Atanga Nji through account No.031562-004-58.

The reports further revealed that Atanga Nji, who is also the Permanent Secretary of the National Security Council, is among those who brought CAMPOST to its knees by embezzling circa FCFA 1 billion.

According to judicial sources, Atanga Nji, who is also the Mezam I Section President of the ruling CPDM party, was first summoned to appear before the Court on Thursday, November 13, but he did show up. He was again invited to Court last Tuesday, November 18, a summon, yet Atanga Nji did not show up.

Sources hold that as a sitting Minister, Atanga Nji could not allow himself to be prosecuted without the consent of the President of the Republic. It was within this logic that he is said to have written to the Legal Adviser at the Presidency, Jean Foumane Akam, asking for permission to go to Court. It is reported that he is yet to get a reply, reason why he has not honoured any of the Court summons.

Observers hold that it is the Presidency of the Republic that is delaying the trial of Atanga Nji. He is expected to stand trial with Communication Consultant and Manager of Jamal Conseil, Jean Marie Abogonena, and the Director General of Anecdote Media Group, Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga.

Only the Jama Conseil boss appeared at the Special Criminal Court last Tuesday and was interrogated for over one hour. He is to account for circa FCFA 27 million in the CAMPOST racket, while Amougou Belinga is expected to explain how FCFA 600 million of public funds went into his private pockets.

Commenting on the fact that Atanga Nji has failed to appear in Court twice, Barrister-At-Law, Honore Ngam, said it is unreasonable because Ministers do not have immunity. He said there is no law that provides that a Minister who is being prosecuted on criminal charges must get authorisation from the President of the Republic before appearing in Court. He said such a claim was misleading because it gives the impression that the law in Cameroon is respecter of certain persons and that the prosecution of certain people depends on the goodwill of the President.

Observers hold further that such a situation casts doubts over the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers in Cameroon. Meanwhile, Atanga Nji has been described as an enigma who has offered huge sums of money to Government many times.

In 1990, during the heat of opposition activism, the then young businessman offered FCFA 48 million to the Government. During the Ghost Town Operation, he bought 150 taxis for FCFA 170 million to counter the opposition’s bid to cripple the Biya regime economically. Earlier on, precisely in August, 1988, he offered FCFA 57 million to the Government.