The sixth hearing of the embezzlement case pitting the State of Cameroon against Joseph Tchakounte, Guillaume Mankollo Ekomba and Samuel Mouengue Massoma took place at the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde on Friday June 28, 2013 and focused on the submissions by the prosecution.
In his presentation, Advocate General, Didier Edjisner, recalled that Joseph Tchakounte, Guillaume Mankollo Ekomba and Samuel Mouengue Massoma are accused of embezzlement and fraudulent practices. He said the embezzlement case was brought to the limelight when the head of the Bekoko weighing station, Assam Apollinaire, denounced a fraud case in the station between January 2009 and April 2010. At the time, 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. A team was deployed to the Bekoko weighing station and the Dibombari treasury.
At the Bekoko weighing station only the stumps of receipts booklets for the payment of fines were found. The amounts paid for fines were signed by the financial clerk at the Bekoko weighing station who had to pay the money in the Dibomabari treasury.
On the embezzlement of State funds, Joseph Tchakounte is accused of embezzling over FCFA 87 million through unregistered payments at Bekoko. Tchakounte is also accused of abusive keeping of bills of known and unknown origins. Mouengue Masssoma is accused of complicity in embezzling FCFA 14 million. The amount concerns two bills which were cancelled by Mouengue Massoma as treasurer and they were used by Tchakounte as justification documents at the Bekoko weighing station. On his part, the Advocate General charged Guillaume Mankolo Essomba of embezzling FCFA 8.5 million in the weighing station in Dibamba. Mankolo Essomba has never appeared before the court. Advocate General Didier Edjisner thereby declared Mouengue Massoma not guilty, Mankollo Essomba guilty of embezzlement and Joseph Tchakounte guilty of embezzling over FCFA 87 million contrary to articles 74, 205, 201(2) and 184 of the Penal Code.
Civil claimant, Nah Nah Sylvestre, however said Mouengue Massoma should be declared guilty for the simple fact that he cancelled the two bills on a Sunday which is not a working day. The case was adjourned to July 2, 2013 for submissions of defence lawyers.
