Cameroon Former Finance Minister Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison

Polycarpe Abah Abah, former Cameroon Minister of the Economy and Finance was sentenced Tuesday in Yaoundé by the Special Criminal Court. As part of the case that involved French lawyer Lydian Eyoum, Polycarpe Abah Abah was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The verdict also included the seizure of 29 buildings, 9 luxury vehicles and the frozen of 8 bank accounts as part of the indictments with Land Bank.

The Abah Abah trial which lasted longer than expected into the early hours of Wednesday January 14, 2015, had already lasted several years. It is alleged that the former CPDM Minster of Finance stole 6.8 billion CFA francs when he was director of taxes. The co-accused another former Minister of Finance and former CEO of Crédit Foncier Bank Joseph Edou is presently incarcerated at the Secretariat for defence where he is serving a 40 year prison term since July 2008.  Another party to the crime syndicate Manga Pascal, former head of research at the Directorate of Taxation was sentenced to life.

Evina Sylvie Chantal, Mewoulou Oyono and Chantal Eloumba were all acquitted for lack of evidence. It is alleged that former Minister Abah Abah embezzled 6.8 billion CFA francs between 2000 and 2004. Polycarpe Abah Abah, at the material time was the Director of Taxation.