Wum State Counsel accused of extortion, corruption

The Cameroon Journal has been told that a Justice Ministry team of investigators are set to investigate allegations of bribery, extortion, corruption and rights abuses at Wum High Court, following charges first raised by Ndong Larry Hills, Member of Parliament for Menchum North.

The Menchum North lawmaker fondly called “Wum Boy” in a letter addressed to the Minister of Justice, alleges that the Senior State Counsel for Menchum, Bekondo Brunett has been extorting money from the population and that he has on occasions, taken personal measures to stiffen court cases in order to solicit kick-backs from accused individuals.

The MP in his petition titled “The Failure of the Judiciary in Menchum,” copy which The Journal obtained, states that the police, gendarmes and the penitentiary in his constituency are unable to investigate and hold up to investigations as prescribed by law because of the State Counsel’s malicious actions. He said the State Counsel has made it a point of duty that all cases and arrests must be brought to him, adding that the forces of law and order have been rendered powerless in the division.

The MP’s allegations have been corroborated by a senior gendarme official in Menchum who during the briefing with the press said he had been nursing similar plans to petition Bekondo to the powers that be.

The document, The Journal gathered, also had copies directed to the Presidency, North West Governor, the Attorney General for the North West, Menchum Senior Divisional Officer as well as the President of the Menchum High Court.

In a telephone conversation with The Cameroon Journal Saturday, Larry Hills vowed he will stop at nothing to have the State Counsel sent out of the division and face justice.

Reacting to the claims, Bekondo retorted that “nobody will derail me from my assignment to ensure the rule of law, peace and eradication of crimes.” He described the petition as baseless, calling it a tactic by his detractors to paint him black or derail him from his mission.

Harping on his relationship with the population, Bekondo said “I have served this division in three different capacities. I will continue to work for the good of the people notwithstanding the shots from detractors.”

The legal department, he said, is working with the support of all the auxiliaries in Menchum in unison. “I call on the population to fearlessly report all offences perpetrated against them by criminals to the legal department or forces of law and order for investigation and persecution.”

According to Bekondo, in doing so, there is always opposition and hatred; “Consequently, intimidation from those quarters whose interests are threatened. If you are strict, be ready for all sorts of calumny against you and even manipulation from detractors,” he said.