The hearing of the case has been adjourned to November 20, 2013.
The eight hearing of the case pitting the State of Cameroon and the Yaounde General Hospital against François Sandji took place at the Special Criminal Court yesterday October 23, 2013. The session before a panel of judges led by Mrs Justice Yvette Siewe began with the verification of the prosecution and defence counsels. It was indeed a brief audience.
As decided during the last audience, the judgement was expected to focus on the evaluation of the inventory of the cost of the famous ice cream kits which cost FCFA 2.6 million per kit. This gives a total of FCFA 53 million for the 20 kits. However, no decision could be taken following the continuous absence of an expert, Mounanga Siliki, chosen from the list of approved experts by the Mfoundi Court of Appeal. Mounanga Siliki was expected to appear in court to give an evaluation on the cost of the equipment embezzled by François Sandji because both parties have not been able to come to an agreement on the amount given by the civil bench. After the necessary formalities, the presiding judge Mrs Yvette Siewe announced an adjournment of the hearing to November 20, 2013 pending clarifications of the expert.
The embezzlement case against François Sandji was taken to the Mfoundi Court of First Instance on September 28, 2008. Earlier on August 26, 2008, the Yaounde General Hospital filed a complaint against the company Speedi Multiservices headed by François Sandji for the embezzlement of kitchen equipment worth over FCFA 77 million. The equipment was used following an agreement of August 12, 2002 linking the company Speedi Multiservices to the Yaounde General Hospital. The objective was to use the equipment to supply food to patients.
All went well at the beginning but following an audit by the accounts department, it was noticed that some of the kitchen equipment belonging to the Yaounde General Hospital were missing. It happened that François Sandji was equally in-charge of the kitchen of the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC) which has two campuses in Ekounou and Nkolbisson, respectively. From the findings, it was noticed that some of the hospital's equipments were found in the two campuses.
Countering the accusation, François Sandji had refuted having signed any protocol agreement with the Yaounde General Hospital. According to the reports from the civil bench, there are documents which showed that François Sandji signed a protocol agreement with the hospital. Barrister Ndjapndouke Kentouma said François Sandji was taking equipment of the hospital kitchen to the Catholic University of Central Africa without authorisation from the authorities.
She said it was because François Sandji had intentions of embezzling the hospital equipment.
Defence lawyer, Barrister Abel Longa said when François Sandji took over the kitchen the hospital did not present to him a total inventory of the equipment.
What has been the bone of contention is the cost of 20 ice cream kits which cost FCFA 2.6 million per kit making FCFA 53 million. According to Defence lawyer, Abel Longa the cost of the ice cream kits has been inflated. That explains the much awaited evaluation by the expert needed to give the exact amount of the equipment allegedly embezzled by François Sandji.
