Garoua Cable Theft Accused Absent

The trial was adjourned to January 29, 2014 by the Special Criminal Court, Yaounde.

The case between the State of Cameroon represented by Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL) and Sadou Hama Adama alias Bapetel and Traore Yacouba was called up yesterday January 8, 2014 at the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde. But hearing did not proceed because the accused were absent from court.

According to the representative of the Legal Department, the produce warrant issued to the judiciary police to search, arrest and bring the accused before the court had not been executed. The Head of the Panel of Judges hearing the case, Mr Justice Michel Jean-Claude Onana, adjourned the case to January 29 for the accused to be in court and for the civil party to produce its list of witnesses.

According to the case file, Sadou Hama Adama alias Bapetel and Traore Yacouba are been accused of stealing CAMTEL cable connections in Garoua, North Region. It is reported that the accused were fond of cutting off cable meant for CAMTEL connections in the region. When they were arrested, sources from CAMTEL say the cables were evaluated at the sum of FCFA 116 million. The Special Criminal Court has ordered the search and arrest of the accused before the hearing of the case can proceed.