Joseph Tchakounte Jailed For 20 Years

Joseph Tchakounte, former financial clerk at the Bekoko Weighing Station in the Littoral Region was slammed a 20-year imprisonment sentence by the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde yesterday Thursday July 11, 2013. The final judgment of the case pitting the State of Cameroon against Joseph Tchakounte, Guillaume Mankollo Ekomba and Samuel Mouengue Massoma, found Joseph Tchakounte guilty of embezzling over FCFA 81 million and fraudulent practices while he was the financial clerk in Bekoko.

Joseph Tchakounte was the financial clerk at the Bekoko Weighing Station while Samuel Mouengue Massoma was treasurer at the Dibombari treasury in the Littoral Region. Joseph Tchakounte wais accused of having signed fake receipts for fines at the weighing station between January 2009 and March 2010. A private audit firm later uncovered a deficit evaluated at FCFA 28 million. On his part, Mouengue Masssoma was accused of complicity in embezzling FCFA 14 million concerning two bills that he cancelled as treasurer and they were used by Tchakounte as justification documents at the Bekoko weighing station. Meanwhile, Guillaume Mankollo Ekomba was accused of embezzling FCFA 8.5 million in the weighing station in Dibamba. He never appeared in court.

The court found Joseph Tchakounte guilty of embezzlement, Mouengue Massoma not guilty and Mankollo Ekomba guilty. Joseph Tchakounte was given a 20-year imprisonment sentence while Samuel Mouengue Massoma was discharged and acquitted. Mankollo Ekomba got life imprisonment and a warrant of arrest was issued against him. Joseph Tchakounte and Makollo Ekomba will have to pay the court FCFA 4 million as charges. Joseph Tchakounte had 48 hours to take the matter to the Supreme Court for review if he was not satisfied with the judgment.