SCC recovers FCFA 552mln from gov’t embezzlers

The Special Criminal Court, SCC, has rendered a balance sheet of its stewardship of the past four years of existence.

A creation in October 2012 by President Biya, a recent report by the court says so far it has recovered a totality of some FCFA 552,588,642 from indicted government embezzlers.

The SCC is still expecting some of the accused who are now under investigation to pay back into the state coffers the sum of FCFA 4,587,756,658, being total amount they are being accused of embezzling as at 2015, French language daily, Emergence reported.

Going by the report of the court’s activities, it claims to have sentenced not less than 43 top government officials during the last four years, with its first victim being Olanguena Awono, former Minister of Public Health.

Many other ministers and their collaborators, including a former Prime Minister have all been sentenced and are still serving various jail terms. Same is the case for many top executives of state corporations as well as their collaborators.

One former Finance Minister, the report stated, was guilty of not less than fifteen counts and was therefore incarcerated.

From these cases, and over the period, the court recovered over 552 Million FCFA paid back into the state treasury.

The report added that, as of now, some 65 officials are still being investigated while 31 others were discharged and acquitted during the four-year period.