‘Swindling’ journalist to be sued

A US-based Cameroonian journalist, Samuel Tonkam, who is a former sports commentator at Africa No. 1, has accused another journalist, Javis Nana of Canal 2 in Cameroon, of misappropriation.

Tonkam is threatening Court action if Nana does not reimburse some money he got from him through what he thought was fraudulent means. He is also expected to pay for some expenses Tonkam incurred.

The allegation is contained in a complaint which Tonkam filed on October 9, 2014, through a lawyer in Douala, Ndam Mama, a copy of which The Post procured. Also attached to the compliant are what Tonkam claims are transcribed text messages of some discussions or exchanges he had with Nana, related to the matter.

According to the complaint and alleged texted massages, on July 5, 2013, Nana, who was then based in Yaounde, sent an SMS to Tonkam asking for financial assistance. He claimed that his father was seriously sick. Tonkam asked for clarification on whether Nana was requesting for a loan or aid. Nana replied that what he initially asked for was aid, but that he could still go in for a loan. Both parties agreed on a loan of FCFA 200,000, which Nana promised to reimburse at the end of that month. Tonkam sent the money to Nana later that same day by Western Union.

The next day (July 6), Tonkam said he received a text message from Nana, this time around claiming that the father had finally given up the ghost. Tonkam said, in reaction, he sent Nana the sum of FCFA 29,744, which he indicated was his own small contribution to assist Nana for the father’s funeral.

But Tonkam who, in the complaint, states that he regularly watches Canal 2 via net in Washington, said he was “surprised and shocked” to see Nana who claimed he had lost the father, in a live programme on Canal 2 the very next day (July 7). He said he soon discovered that Nana, who would no longer responds to his text messages, had “duped” him.

Matter Reported To Canal 2 Management Tonkam said he wasted no time to contact some of Nana’s friends in Yaounde, to get him pay back the money. That is, FCFA 200,000 plus FCFA 29,744. The friends he contacted, who are all journalists, included Jean Baptiste Bayiye, David Atemkeng, Dieudonne Ayissi, and Fauster Germain, through whom he said he first came to know Nana. But he said all their mediation efforts failed, as Nana refused to refund the money.

Tonkam said he went on to present the matter to the management of Canal 2, precisely to the Director of Finance, Josue Yankam. But, he claimed, Yankam told him via email that the matter between him (Tonkam) and Nana, was a private affair.

However Tonkam said Nana who was seemingly shaken by the report he made to his hierarchy, sent him a text message on July 10, 2013. In the texted message, Nana accused Tonkam of trying to ruin him by reporting him to his hierarchy.

He, however, admitted that he told a lie to Tonkam about his father’s health. Nana explained that he was confronted by a serious problem and urgently needed money, and was forced to lie. He tendered his apology to Tonkam, and pleaded for forgiveness.

A few weeks later, Nana sent another text message to reinforce his apology. A roughly translated except of the text message read: “Big brother, I once more on my knees pray you to forgive me for the act I committed. I had a problem, and told you a lie. I am not a swindler. Forgive me. Forgive me, big brother. I beg.” But in all the texted messages which Nana sent to Tonkam pleading for forgiveness, he did not mention anything about reimbursing the money as Tonkam was insisting that he should do.

Tonkam Visits Cameroon Meanwhile, Tonkam said he later informed Nana that he would be in Douala, Cameroon, in early November (2013) on vacation, and that he should be ready to handover the money upon his arrival. But he said when he arrived Douala, Nana resorted to a game of false ‘rendez-vous’ and false promises. According to him, Nana even insulted him at one point. Tonkam said he was forced to travel to Yaounde to search for Nana, who would no longer pick his calls. But that he spent three days in Yaounde searching Nana in vain.

He said he returned to Washington on December 10, 2013, when Nana had not paid the money.

Tonkam said later on, he decided to drag Nana to a Court in Yaounde, and sent a letter of procuration to a friend of his back in the country, Francois Mbia, to file a complaint. But he said unfortunately Mbia for unexplained reasons did not do it. Nana on September 23, 2014, sent another lengthy text message to Tonkam, apologising for his poor behaviour.

Nana said he had met a certain Mr Nya, who informed him that he (Tonkam) will be in Cameroon later this month (October 2014). The difference with the previous apologies contained in texted messages was that Nana this time around vowed to meet Tonkam upon arrival, not only to directly present an apology, but to also reimburse the money he took from him.

Money To Orphanage It was probably in consideration of the September 23 texted message, that Tonkam ended the compliant he filed to Barrister Ndam Mama, by asking him to first contact Nana and get him to pay the money.

Tonkam is demanding that Nana pays him the total sum of FCFA 342,744. The sum includes the FCFA 200,000 he sent to Nana on July 5, 2013, and the FCFA 29,744 he sent on July 6, 2013. He says the rest of the money are some expenses he incurred like the charges he paid to Western Union in July 2013, to transfer money to Nana, the hotel bills he paid as well as the fuel he used on the trip to Yaounde in November 2013 to search for Nana.

Meanwhile, Tonkam had asked Barrister Ndam Mama to also add his fee, FCFA 100,000, to the total sum of money that Nana has to pay. He has warned that failure by Nana to repay the money, would lead to court action.

Tonkam has also repeatedly stressed the fact that his interest is not the money, for he is not that desperate. But he has insisted that it is a matter of principle for him not to allow Nana or anybody for that matter, to swindle money from him and go free.

In fact Tonkam has directed that Barrister Ndam Mama should collect the FCFA 342,744 he is demanding from Nana, and give everything to an orphanage at Deido in Douala, to which he says he has for over a decade been giving financial and material assistances.