Hearing on the case pitting the State against the former Minister of Public Health, Urbain Olanguena Awono and co-accused, Dr. Feuzeu Maurice, Dr. Chia Rose Forjingong, Dr Okala Abono Raphael and Dr. Onana Belibi Timothé, continued in Yaounde Thursday September 20, 2012.
While pleading before the college of judges at the Yaounde Court of Appeal, the defense lawyers failed to come to a common understanding. The lawyers of the former minister pleaded that hearing of the case should be started all over, arguing that the new judge, Mrs Ekodeck, did not take part in the hearings of the case from the beginning. Olanguena's lawyers said that the Criminal Procedure Code states that if there is a change in the college of judges, the trial should be started all over. Unfortunately for them, they did not have the support of the other lawyers. The State held that the new judge had the register which could brief her on what was said in the past hearings.
The defense lawyer for DR. Chia Rose Forjingong, former Coordinator AIDS Control Unit for the South West Region, Barrister Atangana Ayissi, said that the Mfoundi High Court was incompetent to judge her on the grounds that she was not arrested in Yaounde. The court however agreed that the case of Dr. Chia was an exception and could not be overlooked. The case was however adjourned to September 26, 2012.
