Prof. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle Cross-Examined

Former Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, who is one of the witnesses in the case pitting the State of Cameroon (RIGC Project) against Serges Kaptue Tagne and co-accused went through over five hours cross-examination from the defence counsels yesterday September 16, 2013 at the Special Criminal Court. It was a tense cross-examination session that was marked by quarreling between defence lawyers and those of the civil party.

One of the defence lawyers, Barrister Felix Taptue, during cross examination, sought to prove that the case is a civil case and not a criminal one. He said that the bank account, from which money was said to have been embezzled, belongs to an association called CAMDEV which is a business enterprise that signed a convention with the Ministries in charge of Finance and that of Forestry and Wildfire. The lawyer said in a civil account, it is only the owner of the account that can complain about the finance and not the State. "CAMDEV is a private company," the lawyer stressed.

Barrister Taptue said the convention was a document which does not concern the running of the said bank account at the Afriland First Bank. Former Minister Ngolle Ngolle testified about the name of the account but Article 7 of the said convention asked CAMDEV to open a particular account named RIGC Project. Barrister Taptue said an account opened as RIGC Project cannot be taken as CAMDEV.

He also wanted to know how the Minister of Finance undertook to send a project's money to the CAMDEV account instead of RIGC Project's. Barrister Taptue said once money is sent to a private account, it does not have the same role like when the money is sent to a State-owned account. Barrister Taptue was however astonished during the cross-examination because, according to him, each time he asked a question, the former minister spent time saying he was not minister at that time and that he was not the right person to answer.

The Barrister said for inquiries to continue on the case, the court had to carry out an audit on the management of the RIGC Project so as to come back with documents to help him defend his client. "I am being accused on things I cannot have," Barrister Taptue noted. The court told him that, that could be done only at the end of the hearing. At that point, the Barrister said he could not continue cross-examination because the court was not in line with his request.

Another defence lawyer, during his cross-examination, entered into a quarrel with lawyers of the civil party that caused the court to take a 10-minute break due to the disorder that reigned in the courtroom. In effect, lawyers of the Civil Party kept speaking without permission as defence lawyers cross-examined Elvis Ngolle Ngolle on issues surrounding his signature on certain documents. This caused disturbance amongst the defence lawyers.

The accused are appearing before the Special Criminal Court to answer charges of fraud and complicity in the embezzlement of State funds amounting to FCFA 1.7 billion.