Detained Fraudsters Insist Fonkam Azu'u Issued Mission Orders

By Kini Nsom

Four young men - Frankline Gana Ndaga, Cyril Kpuye, JC Akina and Dominic Nkongho Ewang - who were recently arrested at the Nsimalen Airport have insisted that Dr. Samuel Fonkam Azu'u issued them the fake orders that they used to obtain visas from the US Embassy, The Post gathered.

The young people, who were arrested with the fake documents trying to board a Moroccan plane, are now at the judicial police in Yaounde, helping the police in their investigation.

The Post learnt, January 14, that the young men have not only been consistent in their claim that they paid FCFA 3 million each to Dr. Fonkam to issue the fake documents, but are making more incriminating statements against the ELECAM boss.

The French language daily, Mutations of January 14, quoted anonymous US authorities as alleging that Dr. Fonkam was really at the centre of scam. But when The Post contacted the Press Officer at the US Embassy in Yaounde, he declined making any comment on the matter.

Also, police sources in Yaounde say the ELECAM boss could be part of a big racket in which fake mission warrants are issued to enable people emigrate illegally. The sources that were quite laconic and discrete in their reaction to The Post, said they were uncovering more implicating evidences about Dr. Fonkam who is also the Deputy Secretary General of the National Assembly.

However, the Secretary General of the National Assembly, Louis Claude Nyassa, has dismissed as malicious, the allegations that Dr. Samuel Fonkam Azu'u issued fake mission orders to the young men.

He made the rebuttal following press reports that Dr. Fonkam soiled his hands by issuing fake mission warrants.The fake documents also claimed that the four individuals were workers of the National Assembly.

Speaking to members of the press at the National Assembly, Nyassa said it is not possible that fake documents could be issued to the young people. He said people who are sent on mission abroad from the National Assembly do not carry ordinary passports, but service ones.

He said he was in office one morning last week when police brought the news to him. He said he was surprised to see press reports put Dr. Fonkam at the centre of the controversy because throughout his discussion with the police, they did not mention his name.

The Secretary General said he did have any doubt that the story is fabricated by some malicious persons to run down the personality of the pioneer President of ELECAM. To him, the allegations are like giving a dog a bad name so as to hang it.He explained that the only person invested with powers to issue mission orders in the House is the President of the National Assembly. 

The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of relations with the National Assembly, Gregoire Owona, equally joined the defence by blaming the press for taking the place of the courts by judging and condemning Dr Fonkam.Dr. Fonkam himself told The Post that the papers were committing libel against his person because they were running their articles on unfounded allegations void of any iota of facts.

He said he was fighting hard to prove his innocence. To him, his enemies might have been behind such damaging allegations just to derail him from delivering his enormous services to the nation as ELECAM Chairman.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Cameroon Campaign Group, Lord Avebury issued a release last weekend reacting to the scandal. The release partly reads; "The ELECAM law also provides that members have to be persons of integrity.

It was reported last week that four people were arrested as they tried to board a plane to the US with fraudulent documents allegedly signed by Fonkam Azu'u Samuel; for which they claimed to have paid him large bribes. For the time being, this appointment is doubly unlawful.

The European Union had agreed to provide support for the establishment of ELECAM. Until these matters are cleared up, we call for payments to be suspended."

Comments

[Dr A A Agbormbai]

This is amazing. I bet this is just the tip of the iceberg in Cameroon. With good undercover police work I am sure more of these rackets will be exposed and broken up.

[Tekum Mbeng]

To write that 4 men bribed Dr Fonkam with 12 million FCFA to get fake authorizations sounds pathetic and like the thin wedge of a lie.

Kini Nsom and the Post also risk a libel law suit from the ELECAM boss.

It is a tragedy that the Cameroon Press can use unproven allegations to paint a public official in the most vicious manner possible under the subterfuge of free expression.

The Press in England or the US does not behave like that. Treat allegations for what they are until the investigative arm of the State has done its job and reported.

[vita]

If anyone on this forum is trying to protect Fonkam is nut.It is very easy for people to pay such huge amounts .It is not a strange story.Sorry man there is no press freedom in Africa.You talk about US/UK you are dreaming

[vita]

If anyone on this forum is trying to protect Fonkam is nut.It is very easy for people to pay such huge amounts .It is not a strange story.Sorry man there is no press freedom in Africa.You talk about US/UK you are dreaming

[Tekum Mbeng]

OK, Vita,

Where would these men pick 12,000,000 FCFA from to bribe an official in today's Cameroon? Can't you see dirty works in the picture? You think cash comes easy?. Tough.

If the allegation was that the official did it to hide some state secret or to protect a higher ranking CPDM official then one can easily understand that the higher official provided the cash.

The mentioning of a 12m FCFA bribe ruins the story. That is an attempt to frame up the ELECAM boss and is gutter journalism. Mud sticks, right?

[Enongene]

Mbeng Tekum, it is ridiculous to think that cameroonians cannot raise 3 million each to enable them travel out of the country esp if it is the US. If you think because you are out there in the US or Uk or wherever and finds it difficult to save 12 million CFA or even 3million by the end of a year, then it becomes impossible for cameroonians to raise that sum. It's myopic to think that way.

In the Western country where you are, appointments like the one just bestowed on Fonkam Azu'u has to pass through the house of Representatives to be confirmed. There, a thorough check on his integrity is done. I will advise you to advise Fonkam to come clean of the allegations, instead of blindly supporting him.

[Dr A A Agbormbai]

The Post did its homework properly in this article. Also, its account is far more credible than most.

Here is one excerpt from the article that says it all...

"Also, police sources in Yaounde say the ELECAM boss could be part of a big racket in which fake mission warrants are issued to enable people emigrate illegally. The sources that were quite laconic and discrete in their reaction to The Post, said they were uncovering more implicating evidences about Dr. Fonkam who is also the Deputy Secretary General of the National Assembly."

This extract indicates clearly that the Post interviewed some of the policemen involved before writing this article. This gives the article credibility.

Here is another important extract...

"The French language daily, Mutations of January 14, quoted anonymous US authorities as alleging that Dr. Fonkam was really at the centre of scam. But when The Post contacted the Press Officer at the US Embassy in Yaounde, he declined making any comment on the matter."

The key part here is the last sentence..."But when The Post contacted the Press Officer at the US Embassy in Yaounde, he declined making any comment on the matter."

In the West official sources either deny categorically (when quotations alleged to have come from them are wrong) or refuse to comment (when these allegations are indeed correct but they don't want to say anything more about the matter).

Given the stringency with which the US and other Western countries handle immigration issues from Africa I doubt very much that the US embassy would have issued those visas without checking the signatures. They would be well aware that official signatures can be fudged.

The government has been trying desperately to diffuse the storm, but I doubt very much that it will go away. The government's attempts have been unconvincing.

[rexon]

Tekum Mbeng,

From the way you write, i have started questioning your judgement and credible. If you cannot stand to defend tangible issues like this one, then i really doubt where we are going. When this hypocrite was appointed to this mundane post, you were one of the first to come out here and congratulate him, describing him as one of the best legal minds of the country. As the legal mind that he was, why could'nt he questioned the credibility of Mr Biya appointing him to head an organisation that is not even independent in the first place?

You went further by arguing that Cameroonians cannot pay the sums of money mentioned to travel abroad. What an irony? Do you really know the Cameroon you are commenting about? If people can pay more than that sum to get visas for central European countries whose economy is not soo strong and the laws are strong, what about the US where you can easily work illegally with fake papers and recoup your expenses over a short period of time? There are lots of such feymania going on masterminded by individuals and members of the regime. You can be ignorant but will not be the one to design another truth about Cameroon. Fonkam Azu'uh knows the truth that we are not privy to and no matter his denial that he did not take money which we cannot verify, at least we know that he is not a credible person and is a feyman because he is the head of Elecam. Hope you will not refuse this truth.

Cheers.

[Tekum Mbeng]

Dr AAA and Rexon,

Did you read the report alleging that the Commonwealth had suspended aid to Cameroon and that the organization was encouraging similar action in the European Union? This was all made up by your famous press as the Post itself publish a retraction last Friday. Back in 1986, the same press claimed the Israelis tested nukes at Lake Nyos. That is your press.

The fact is nobody has bothered to get copies of the travel docs allegedly signed by Dr Fonkam from the US Embassy. To substantiate a poor job, the journalist resorts to calling unverifiable sources here and there. That is nonesense. The press conducts no polls but claims to know how the public thinks.

The fact is that the Opposition is justifiably against ELECAM. It suffices to prosecute the matter on technicalities without engineering false press releases and false claims aganst personalities, the sum total of which undermines the Opposition's legitimate argument.

Don't expect to get equity if you don't give equity - that is a natural principle of law.

[Tekum Mbeng]

Rexon,

There is no country on earth, including former Eastern Europe, demanding a VISA fee of 3 million FCFA or US$ 6000.

Guys, let us be facts-driven and avoid hyperbole.

[Danny Boy]

Mr. Tekum Mbeng,
Who indeed is fabricating a story here? The police or the press? The information we are getting could only have been released to the press by the police, who arrested these guys and interrogated them.
I do not see any case of libel here! A conspiracy by the police, in league with the opposition? I very much doubt it.
Have a good day.

[Jesco]

Tekum Mbeng,

For your information people pay as much as 3.5 million cfa to get into Enam and some have the money but it remains in their pockets because they don't know the right person to give to. Even a place for common Counselling in higher ENS this year sold for as much as 3 million. So this sum is peanuts for some cameroonians determined to reach uncle sam's land. This money is not for the visa proper but facilitation services to get the visa. People have lost higher sums in visa facilitation. Guy wake up to the realities of Cameroon.

[Fon.]

This guy called Tekum Mbeng must be the dullest supporter of the CPDM regime.
"There is no country on earth, including former Eastern Europe, demanding a VISA fee of 3 million FCFA or US$ 6000."
Where in the comments above has someone mentioned or even insinuated that there is a country on earth demanding a visa fee of 3million FCFA?
If the US was to make it as a sole criterion, that those who want to enter the US pay 5million FCFA, more than 2million Cameroonians will enter the US in one month.

I can´t understand the kind of stupid argument that Tekum Mbeng is trying to put forth. Is he saying that it is the opposition that arrested the guys at airport? or that the papers are saying a lie that the guys were arrested or that it is a lie that the guys did not mention Fonkam's name but papers decided to tanish his name?
What is this guy really trying to say? Is he really in his senses?

[Tekum Mbeng]

Fon,

FACT 1: Go read the 2nd paragraph of mail from Rexon. He said people pay more than 3m FCFA to get VISAs into Central Europe. That is a LIE. You guys have lost objectivity, seemingly.

Dannyboy and Jesco,
FACT 2: Again with the press, on January 15, 2009, Mr Clovis Atatah of the Cameroon Private Sector Press claimed that "Widespread outrage over President Paul Biya’s controversial appointment of mostly high-ranking CPDM militants into Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) has evolved from words to action.
One of Cameroon’s major donors, the Commonwealth, has announced that it is indefinitely suspending aid to Cameroon amounting to 15 million euros (about 10 billion FCFA), in protest against President Biya’s 30 December 2008 ELECAM appointments, the African Press Agency (APA) reported on Monday". That was made up.

On January 16, 2009, the Post retracted the story claiming the Commonwealth has issued a correction as if the original story came from the Commonwealth. You are dealing with unscrupulous journalists here. They can say anything in Cameroon, have no facts to back it up and blame someone else. That is the problem. Well, Clovis Atatah is a free man and is a good thing.

[Fon.]

Tekum Mbeng,
You must be completely missing.
Rexon did not say people pay the money directly to the embassies to obtain visas. The money is spent to obtain documents like the ones that Fonkam issued to the guys arrested, which facilitate the acquisition of a visa from the emmbassy.
Don´t force us to release the secret on who Cameroonians get visas from the American embassy. They spend huge sums of money to obtain "doki" that facilitates the acquisition of a visa.

This story is quite different from that of Atatah Clovis. Here, we are talking of guys that have been arrested and are in police custody; hence, u can´t called it a framed up story by the post.
Are you saying that nobody has been arrested in connection with such a story?

[Dr A A Agbormbai]

Tekum Mbeng,

The Post did not carry that Commonwealth rumour. The rumour appeared only in other press organs. The Post merely reported the Commonwealth's refutation of the story. So this wasn't a retraction by the Post. Most likely, the Post would have checked out the story before reporting it.

[rexon]

Tekum Mbeng,

Did i say anywhere that the visa fee is 3 Million CFA. Why are you now speaking as if water has been put into your mouth? My facts were clear, that people pay 3 Million francs (less expenses) to CPDM pundits some of whom are businessmen to facilitate their acquisitions of visas. That is a fact. And you shockingly, you claimed it is difficult for an average Cameroonian to have such sums of money. Mr Tekum Mbeng, do we come from thesame Cameroon?

Secondly, your rantings here is counter productive to the struggle we have all been involved in. Though there is never any excuse for supporting the CPDM, I have now started understanding why some of those my South West brothers and sisters are very suspicious of a Bamenda man and prefer to support the CPDM that they claim they hate. You have been here with us, pretending to be an opposition sympatiser over more than 5 years. Now your country man have been appointed to an illegal post, you have shockingly come out to defend him and even struggling to present Elecam that is supposedly heading as a credible organisation. The implications are that even if he masterminds the theft of the next election as one Nico Halle did, you will still be fine with him. Are these the type of jobs that are good for our people? To implicate Southern Cameroonians? Why not give it to a Francophone? And i heard another Southern Cameroonian is the director of the congress hall in Yaounde which is also a presidential appointee and a CPDM pundit. What a shame. Is that what we have been reduced to?

In one of your write-ups you congratulated him and described him as: "one of the best legal minds of the country". What a shame. Is this really coming from Tekum Mbeng of all? I can only believe that you are being driven by tribalism and/or nepotism. This is quite disturbing granting that you have been very critical of such actions from the Biya regime. You should'nt have come out now to show your support for the CPDM, after having passed around for an opposition sympatiser or sympatiser of the anglophone cause. Your change of tongue now gives the impression that us graffis are just there for power, which is not true. Though your actions does not represent the attitude of most of us northwesteners, you are the sort of people that influences southwestners to mock at us.

Cheers.

[Tekum Mbeng]

Dr AAA,

Fact: Mr Clovis Atatah is a journalist of the Post. The post does not publish all their articles online.

If the likes of Dr Fonkam are corrupt then we should forget about Cameroon! He was a top law graduate from UNIYAO, sent to Britain in the Ahmadou Ahidjo days to study law. He completed a PhD at the University of London in record time and returned home to teach.

Then he was made Assistant SG of the National Assembly after many years as a top adviser at the Presidency. Their team guided the process which got Bakassi back from Nigeria.

Now he is chosen to steer a body that will probably select the next Leader of Cameroon and the partisan Francophone press is trying to smear him with the blinded Anglophone press in tow. That is unconscionable.

As expected, Dr Fonkam with the legal mind that he has, has resigned from the CPDM because he can see the monumental task ahead for the country. There is more credibility in Dr Fonkam Azu'u toe nails than in the entire press pack, many of whom may be Azu'u weaker students at UNIYAO.

[Tekum Mbeng]

Rexon,

Tekum Mbeng is a realist and independent. Rexon, many of your socalled SW brothers and sisters do not have the foggiest idea of what the needs of the SW are. If your SW brothers and sisters did,

(a) there would be a non-seasonal road linking Mundemba to Ndian, Mbonge, Lobe, Kumba to Buea; and another non seasonal road linking Mamfe to Nguti, Manyemen to Kumba.

(b) there would be a completed seaport infrastructure in Victoria. It would not require your socalled "graffi" MPs to stand up against a minister of the Regime who prefers sandy Kribi.

(c) Victoria would still be Victoria and not Limbe (after a German jew visitor Limberg) in recognition of longstanding historic ties to Great Britain.

(d) the infrastructure now invested in Buea would be in a more geologically stable town called Kumba.

(e) your people should have satisfied labor needs on German planatations and spared my grand parents of an unsolicited and harrowing journey from the Grasslands.

(f) the manual laborers at SONARA would come from the local labor pool and not Douala.

What the heck are you talking about?

Isn't the head of government one of socalled SW brother? Never mention that partisan crap again on this medium.

[Tekum Mbeng]

Fon,

The Post also reported today that Mr. Louis Claude Nyassa, Secretary General of the National Assembly who is Dr Fonkam's former boss, said "the four policemen who came to the National Assembly with the passports of Fonkam's accusers never mentioned the name of the ELECAM Chair".

My point is the press has made no effort to get copies of mission orders allegedly signed by the ELECAM Chairman. Calling names does not defuse the lie. The public must stand up against smearing tactics and the irresponsible titilation from the press.

[Dr A A Agbormbai]

Tekum Mbeng,

A person's high qualifications or achievements does not preclude him from committing criminal activities.

If that were the case academic professors all over the world would be saints. These guys usually have multiple qualifications and achievements.

Notwithstanding, it is well known that some professors steal the works of their students and pretend that the works are theirs. They generally get away with it (because of the power they enjoy in the academic world), although there are those who get caught.

While I was coming through at Imperial College in the late 80s, I came across far too many of this type of stories involving the unethical behaviours of academics. There are also professors who go about including their names as joint authors in papers that they never contributed to.

So please, when it comes to morals, judge a person by his (or her) actions not by his qualifications, achievements, or standing. The devil can get into any one's mind at any time.

Now, regarding this quote...

"the four policemen who came to the National Assembly with the passports of Fonkam's accusers never mentioned the name of the ELECAM Chair".

The fact that the policemen did not mention the name of the culprit does not mean that these or other policeman attached to the case cannot leak the name to the press.

The four policemen might not have mentioned the ELECAM chair's name to avoid embarrassment in the chair's former boss, especially as the case is still being investigated. Don't forget that this news is stunning.

Also, the Post's investigations reveal that further incriminating evidence is being exposed about Dr Fonkam. This point of the investigation is deeper than was the case when the four policemen talked to Dr Fonkam's boss. At that time the policemen were all probably shocked, just as any reasonable person would be, when the news broke.

[Tekum Mbeng]

Dr. AAA,

First, now you agree that indeed Mr Clovis Atatah is a journalist of the Post. The Post tried to create policy for the Commonwealth on January 15th. Then on Jan 16, the Post made a U-turn without reference to the earlier adventure.

Next, the references to Dr Fonkam's formation was meant to show that he is a smart insider of Cameroon, has a legal mind and can be independent as exemplified in his timely exit from the CPDM.

It was not my intention to associate infallibility with academic talent. Let me tell you brother - good human relations are more important than academic talent. We should pray for cooperation and a safe transfer of power in Cameroon.

As a scientist, I am surprised of your dangerous disregard of facts, in pursuit of expedient politiking and spin-mastering.

Have you seen the documents allegedly issued by Dr. Fonkam? Have you seen a signed statement from the Police, the 4 criminals or from the US Embassy? How can you take malicious hearsay from the mouths of double-speaking street men as facts?

Check and double check information and speak once.

[Ma Mary]

It is disturbing that when the thin covering of high academic attainment is scratched, a shameless tribalist emerges. We should be concerned about parading tribalism like this and mummifying it for on the internet for our children's children to see to see.

[Dr A A Agbormbai]

Mr Mbeng,

In a job, good human relations are only important if the nature of a job demands it. There are many critical jobs (especially technical and academic ones) where good human relations are not that important, but a gifted mind is either desirable or essential.

In society good human relations are important, but criminals must still be dealt with. Are you saying that crimes should not be investigated because we would destroy our relationships with suspects?
_______

I do not need to see original evidence (or all the evidence) to tell truth from lies. While science teaches the importance of having all the facts before making a decision, the real world does not usually follow the scientific method.

In the great majority of real world decision making you must make a decision out of minimal (or whatever evidence you have). Science deals with determinism (the world of idealism) whereas the real world deals with uncertainty.

There is a whole body of knowledge beyond the sciences that covers real world decision making, so you must be very careful when you apply the scientific method to real life. Often, you will find that you are stretching it beyond its realms of applicability.
_________

My general impression is that, despite your many claims, you are not objective on this matter. An objective person would not categorically conclude that Dr Fonkam is innocent.

He would be indifferent, and would want to wait for the investigations to be over before making up his mind. Unless, of course, he trusts his decision making ability in the face of incomplete information.

Personally, I will be very surprised if Dr Fonkam comes out of this clean.

[Tekum Mbeng]

Dr AAA,

Rest assured that many of us trend towards seeking evidence but must respond to the misguided investment of trust in the Cameroon press.

The Press is a product of Cameroonians and they are very good at stitching LIES and not taking personal RESPONSIBILITY.

Remember these same papers claimed the Israelis had dropped a neutron bomb in Lake Nyos back in 1986! Just like that!!

What is going on is that they (the press) seek drama - they want to bring down ELECAM instead of embracing it and seeking to evolve with it. The claims against the first ELECAM Chairman feed many anarchists and are unjustified.

[rexon]

Dr AA,

"While I was coming through at Imperial College in the late 80s, I came across far too many of this type of stories involving the unethical behaviours of academics. There are also professors who go about including their names as joint authors in papers that they never contributed to."

Academic fraud like what you cited in your second sentence have crumbled the business school of the University of Durham. It was a thriving business school, until when a certain Professor Antonio Antonio (who was the dean) was accused of some of the things you cited above and that even his own PhD thesis was plagiarised more than 25 years back.

Cheers.

[Dr A A Agbormbai]

The one thing that academics crave more than anything else is making history. No amount of money can buy you a place in positive history.

You can gain a professorship without making history-creating contributions to knowledge. And the appointment of professors all over the world is as political as is the process of getting papers accepted in journals.

So two factors contribute to corrupting the professorship appointment process. The first is the politics of getting journal papers accepted, especially in top journals (yet academic appointments and professorships are based on journal publications). Here reviewers often connive to stifle a brilliant paper simply because the name attached to the paper is unrecognisable.

If it weren't for Max Planck, and his non-standard academic personality of accepting any papers that seemed outrageous into the Annalen der Physik journal, Einsten's celebrated papers on Relativity Theory would never have been published!

The second factor that corrupts the professorship appointment process is the politics of selecting a professor based on his or her record. Here, more qualified scholars can be overlooked for less competent personnel.

The crave for creating history is so great that academic theft can easily happen, and the greatest culprits are research students who usually know little about the academic world. Their professors can easily subsume their works without the rest of the world knowing about it.

Research students from Third World countries are the most vulnerable, and are the most taken advantage of. A faily common practice is getting them to do the work and then not including their names in the journal articles.

So the next time you see the title 'Professor' don't mistaken it for 'Saint.' Nevertheless, it is true that scholars (if not the most upright) are among the most upright persons in society.

[tayong]

I dont know if we are reading the same paper.The post says "..... Mutations of January 14, quoted US authorities as alleging....

Allegations are allegations until proven facts, true. But to claim that allegations are "lies" and "pathetic" without applying the same due process to prove no wrong doing
is not only false but a guile smack on objectivity.

Its horrifying and mind boggling to read some of the reactions in this forum on this Azu'u's controversy. News organs reported including CRTV that went on air first( Alain Belibi) ,investigations are unraveling with more incriminating evidences yet tribalism seems to run deep into some peoples blood to exonerate Azu'u claiming victimhood of anglophonism or NWness.

Let justice run its full course, period.