African Union demands Mebara's release

In its 416/12 communication dated April 20, the ACHPR recommends that the State of Cameroon not only release Jean Marie Atangana, but also pays FCFA 400 million in compensation.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has just sentenced Cameroon, to pay to Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara, former Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, FCFA 400 millionin respect of damages for arbitrary detention.

After 4 years of proceedings, the African body responsible for enforcing the aspiration of peoples for equal justice, by Member States, believes that in court proceedings initiated against Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara the Cameroonian justice violated certain provisions of the African Charter on human and peoples’ rights relating to fair and impartial justice and the presumption of innocence.

According to the daily newspaper Le Messager, which relays the information in its edition of Monday, May 9, 2016, Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara considers that he is arbitrarily detained for acts committed after receiving instructions from his superiors when he was officiating as Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic. As a reminder, it is in August 6, 2008, that Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara was arrested.

The former member of the Government, who is considered a political prisoner by the international community, is serving a double sentence in prison, one of fifteen years as part of the case of the purchase of the presidential plane, and another of 20 years in prison sentenced on October 2, 2013, on the settlement of airplane rentals by the former airline company Cameroon Airlines.

On May 3, his appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court. The former minister sought the annulment of the decision taken by the Special Criminal Court to continue discussions despite the non-quotation of his witnesses by the prosecutor of the tribunal. In this other case involving the purchase of the presidential plane, he was accused of embezzlement of more than 4 billion FCFA.

It’s on July 26, 2012, that the former minister seized the ACHPR. Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara particularly denounced the judge’s procedural disjunctions instruction, the length of this procedure, the new detention on May 7, 2012 despite his acquittal few days earlier, etc. On 6 June 2014, his complaint was admissible by this quasi-judicial body of the African Union.