Council Treasurer taken from hospital to auditors

Eladson Fotabong Christopher, Municipal Treasurer of Alou Council in Lebialem division is under the radar of state auditors after his relationship with the mayor of Alou, Ntemngwa Paul, went sour over issues having to do with accountability.

In a query to the Treasurer dated February 26, 2015, Ntemngwa accused him of collecting council revenue without issuance of official treasury receipts.

Fotabong is also said to have asked the cashier of the Alou Council to send money to him, the money was transferred to him but he has not been able to account for it. Instead, he embarked on several absences from work on account of poor health.

“Your regular absence with renewed medical excuses, some of 30 days durations, your political engagements elsewhere as well as your refusal to update the Mayor on the state of the Council Treasury makes treasury staff to think it is independent from the Mayor’s office,” the query letter addressed to him reads in part.

In an earlier letter dated January 27, 2015, addressed to the chairman of the Audit commission of Alou Municipal Treasury, the Mayor had made allegations to the effect that huge sums of Council money remain unaccounted for.

“As far as I know from the municipal treasurer, some FCFA 8 million was handed to the cashier to settle budget session expenses on January 22, 2015. He went out of station after the session and no other transaction has taken place with the balance of FCFA 8 million. The municipal treasurer alone knows where he kept this money given his constant complains of insecurity keeping money in the treasury save,” the Mayor, Ntemngwa wrote.

At the onset of the crisis, a report from an in house audit commission of the treasury of the Council had recommended that the mayor and the municipal treasurer mend their differences and work together for the good of the council.

“If cooperation between the lord Mayor and municipal treasurer fails to take root, then the only remedy left is to separate these two personalities,” the Alou council audit committee chairman recommended.

But Fotabong, the Treasurer, appears not to have seen any reason for reconciliation as suggested by the committee. He insisted that he is only doing his job and doesn’t want interference from the mayor.

“Mr. Lord Mayor, you will run your office without problems if you respect the functions of your collaborators and permit them to perform their duties,” Fotabong told the mayor.

However, on Monday, March 23, state controllers summoned the Treasurer, Fotabong, to the Regional Treasury in Buea for an audit of the books of the Alou Council.

Fotabong who at the time of the summons was under admission in Kumba District Hospital was taken from his hospital bed in Ambulance to honour the invitation of the state controllers in Buea.

Though much could not be obtained from him given that he was in critical health an not prepared to make a presentation, the Alou Municipal Treasurer insisted that his hands are clean.

He is expected to present his records before the Buea audit committee as soon as he gets well and gets out of the hospital.