Yves M. Fotso pleads not guilty for stealing FCFA 18 billion

Cameroon’s foremost business magnate and former Director General of the defunct national air transport company, Cameroon Airlines (CAMAIR), Yves Michel Fotso, yesterday November 6, 2014 at the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde, pleaded not guilty to charges of fraudulently obtaining the sum of FCFA 18.9 billion sometime between 2000 and 2002.

The suit brought against him by CAMAIR’s Liquidation Committee spelt out that the said sum comprised FCFA 4,051,209,866, FCFA 4,606,130,515, FCFA 8,934,203,742 which was compensation for the famous Boeing 747 “Combi” aircraft as well as FCFA 1,400,000,000 that represented the value of the wreck of the aircraft.

When the presiding judge, Mr Justice Francis Moukoury, demanded the list of witnesses from both parties, Advocate General Jean Claude Taghim of the Legal Department tendered a six-witness list which the civil claimants, Barrister Ngongo Ottou and Barrister Epassi also adopted.

On their part, defence lawyers, Barristers Martin Achet and Alex Mandeng, made known to the panel of judges also comprising Mr. Justice Jean Claude Michel Onana and Mrs. Justice Yvette Siewe that defence will call for no witness throughout proceedings.

After consulting both parties, Mr. Justice Francis Moukoury adjourned the hearing to December 9, 2014 to give the Legal Department enough time to serve its witnesses.