Biyiti Essam Explains How State Funds Ended Up in His Personal Bank Account

Originally published on Scribbles from the Den

"I was expecting a treasury check [from the Minister of Finance]... instead, three brawny fellows came into my office with a bag containing 250 millions Fcfa... Tell me, where should I have kept this money? You wanted me to keep the money in my home… for them to to come and knock off my kids before stealing the money?" Biyiti Essam

Jean-Pierre Biyiti bi Essam, Cameroon’s Minister of Communications and government spokesperson (whom his detractors like to refer to as "petit Goebbels") is in hot water. He is accused of diverting 140 million Fcfa, meant to prepare for the Pope’s visit, into his private bank account. There are also questions about the 70 million Fcfa paid to a Gabonese firm to supply four giant screens used during the Pope’s mass in Yaounde. The Minister has already appeared before the state prosecutor. Here are excerpts of an interview which he gave to the French language daily Le Messager (Translated from French by Dibussi Tande).

This interview gives us a rare first-hand insight into how government works (or does not work) in Cameroon. Even more significant than the issue of embezzlement, is the realization that neither Cameroon nor the entire CEMAC region seem to have modern financial mechanisms to facilitate the transfer of funds within the country or the entire region - bags and bouncers play the role usually reserved for financial institutions… This story would have been quite hilarious had the stakes not been so high…

How Much Money Was Given to Me
The Head of State ordered the release of 770 millions Fcfa to prepare for the media coverage of the Pope’s visit to Cameroon. This money got to the Minister of Communication, that’s me, in four installments. The first installment arrived on Thursday 26 February in the afternoon. The sum was 250 million Fcfa, delivered in bag by 2-3 brawny individuals. The second installment, also 250 million Fcfa, was delivered the next day. The third installment, 200 million Fcfa, arrived on March 4, 2009. The fourth and last installment, exclusively allocated to the renting of giant TV screens, was received a before the Pope arrived, that is, on March 10. It was 70 million Fcfa.

How Money was Distributed
CRTV received 450 million Fcfa. CAMTEL, which was supposed to provide fiber optic links, received 140 million Fcfa. SOPECAM, the publisher of Cameroon Tribune, received 40 million Fcfa. The Ministry of Communications received 140 millions Fcfa, of which 70 millions Fcfa was set aside to rent giant TV screens...

Why and How the Money Ended up in my Personal Bank Account
Let me replay the events. It is February 26, 2009. That morning, I take part in a Cabinet Meeting presided by the Prime Minister, Head of Government. The main topic on the agenda is the insecurity in public buildings. Back then, the Delegation of National Security, which is guarded by the police, had just been robbed. So too had been the Ministry of Defense… That afternoon, I was expecting a treasury check [from the Minister of Finance]…. Instead of the treasury check, three brawny fellows delivered a bag containing 250 millions Fcfa to my office. It is late in the afternoon. So what do I do? I call those to whom part of the money has been allocated, that is, Crtv,  Camtel and Sopecam, and ask them to come by quickly. This money was not in my office for more than 30 minutes...

Given the context which I have just described, I freak out at the thought of having that much money in my office. My desire is to get that money out of my office and to secure it as quickly as possible. I ask myself where I should keep the portion of the money reserved for the Ministry of Communications. I call my banker, Mr. Hamidou, the assistant manager of SGBC. Anyone can go to him to confirm my statements. I ask him to find me a safe with two keys, one for my DAG [Director of General Affairs] and the other for the bank… He tells me that SGBC does not offer this service…. Mr. Hamidou proposes that I deposit the money into my personal bank account, on the condition that I declare the origin and destination of the funds. We are talking here of documentary evidence.

Let me seize this opportunity to remind Cameroonians that since 2005, ministerial departments are barred from opening bank accounts in commercial banks. I know this because I was Secretary-General at the ministry at the time.

Where the hell did they want me to put this money? If I wanted to embezzle the money, I would have hidden it in my village. Is keeping money in the bank the only way to embezzle? By the way, I am not even the person who carried out this operation. I sent my Director of General Affairs, madame Ndzié Chantal, who is in charge of financial matters.
 […]

Did I deposit public funds in a private account ? Yes! But it was clearly stated that the money in my private account was a “deposit for the Pope’s arrival”. What does that mean? If I had died on that day, my heirs would not have been able to recuperate this money…

Why I Paid a Gabonese Firm 70 Million Fcfa to supply Four Giant TV Screens
On March 7, I wrote to my superiors to inform them of negotiations with the German firm CI Vidéo Rental Gmbh, which was ready to install two giant screens for three-hundred millions, nine hundred and twelve thousand Fcfa (350 912 000 Fcfa). I considered this too expensive. But that was their final offer. A few days later… the artist George Seba (now I am ready to go off because people say a lot of foolish things about Biyiti) informs me that there is a company in Libreville which rents sound equipment and giant screens, and that he would put me in touch with them. He calls a certain Mr. Manyanga who tells me that he can  provide 4 giant screens for 70 million Fcfa, including transportation by air. We are one week away from the Pope’s visit. We must hurry… It is war and I have to win. I write to my superiors on March 9 to present the proposal from Gabon, which is affordable… Mr. Manyanga demands 50% upfront payment before he can deliver the giant screens. The money is available in my bank account. I consult my banker who presents me with the requirements to fulfill, and I realize that I cannot meet them. Mr. Manyanga is willing to come to Cameroon to pick up his money. But the 50% which he requires is 35 million Fcfa, a lot of money.

I call Cameroon’s ambassador to Gabon who advises against handing over money to someone’s whose firm I know nothing about. He asks me to send one of my collaborators to Gabon to assess the firm. I plan a kamikaze operation. That is, we carry the money in a bag, we take it to these people; they put the giant screens in the plane and we’re done.

On his Interrogation by the Prosecutor
They asked me why I deposited public money into a private account, and I explained [the circumstances]. This has been the primary question to date. But I would like to send this question back to my accusers. Tell me, where should I have kept this money? You wanted me to keep this money in my home at Mendong, which is not sufficiently protected, for the to come and knock off my kids before stealing the money? In that case, they would have claimed that I had faked a robbery. I don’t have a safe at the ministry, and it would not have been wise to keep it there, given the context of  the widespread insecurity of public buildings. I am a Minister, that is, I accept my responsibilities. If the Head of State had thought that I was a wimp, he would not have put me here. I made my decision. I think it was that one that I had to take at that moment. The only question that matters today is what Biyiti did with the money?

On how Much Money is Currently in His Bank Account
This money entered and left my account within three weeks. I have four bank accounts. I will publish the account numbers tomorrow. These four bank accounts had a total of  10 132 625 Fcfa. After the Pope left, these accounts had 10 306 020 francs Fcfa. The Pope did not make me rich. I did not swindle any money.

On the Fate the Awaits Him
I am not a lawyer… from my point of view, this is an administrative fault. It is a management error which cannot be comparable to a crime or an intention to commit a crime. If the law stipulates that state funds cannot be deposited in private bank accounts, you know, there is the law, and also the spirit of the law. And in this case, the spirit of this law is that the funds have to be preserved to serve the public interest. And, I have shown that this is what I did. .. I am serene. I did not kill anyone. Perhaps I committed a management error... but I have explained what I did with the money, and people saw the results. I am untroubled. Now, let’s recognize that I am subject to the law. And, if the legal system of my country considers that I have committed a crime, I am right here. I am an ordinary citizen.

Comments

[Wirndzerem G. Barfee]

Monsieur le Ministre,
you ask repeatedly what you should have done? I am humbled by that humility of your present rhetoric, though in the face of this "tirs groupés" & "pillonage" from your private press wards. Can't this be the commonsensical answer: Call the MINFI and return the money to sender. Then and collect it in due & proper form the next morning! Simple: for if the bouncers could bring the money at that hour then they could return it at same hour. Was the dough aflame & only extinguishable by your immediate reception? Or am I unministrably naive!

[elias sone ayuk]

A story like this one is still possible only in endemicly corrupt unaccountable and institutionally totalitarian societies like that of cameroon. This tells us just how bad the level of corruption is.No honest society no ministry no presidency would carry out huge monetary transactions in this bizarre manner.As though no banks exist!!! All the better to facilitate embezzlement. shame on you!!!.

[Jimmy Stan]

I think i accusatioins should not be on this minister alone, if the money is present then stop questioning him. I stand by him

[albertarrey]

I think the minister also has a point here. Is it me but, does anyone realize this is one of the few ministers that has given a detail account of his financial transactions for a long time? He may be lying but at the same time I am surprised by the fact that there is no system in place to deal with huge sums of money at events. Why are they even running around with money in bags? Can't they use checks or online transfers? A whole ministry doesn't have a bank account? This is terrible.

[Abdel-Cabrini]

Wonders shall never end ,I am sure Minister Biyiti and his boss think Cameroonians are fools.
Any way , I am sure he got so confused running around with heavy bags of money that his best option was his private account.
Mr Minister please!! don't bother to clarify your self,for it is so complicated that cameroonians cannot understand,only the President, Biya will understand you.
Surely you mise your chance of taking your own share,wait for the Popes' next visit,by then he will be the Emperor,God forbid!!!!!!.
Then some men came with the bags of money,then i called Gabon about the bags of money,then i thaught of my village and the bags of money,then i thaught of the plane and the bags of money,then i called my DAG about the bags of money,i told my wife and my next of kin about the bags of money,then i called my banker about the bags of money.
What a sloppy way of carrying on.
Minister bags of money.

[colton]

i sda

[Facter]

Will somebody please lock these kinds of people away and summon madame guillotine? If you steal in this scale from Europe or America, they will run you down to your remote village in the equatorial forest. Why are they providing safe havens for these thieves.

[Ras Tuge]

Facter, no human being can rescue Cameroon, let alone Africa. The untold kleptomania, acrimony, egocentrism, and wickedness that has engulfed the continent is an integral component of our cursed heritage.

Our civilization was poisoned for eternity. If you know Noah's story (when Jah flattened the wickedness of man), and that of his three sons; Shem, Ham, and Japhet, then you'll have an idea why Africa is providing safe havens for hoodlums. Dread, this is knowledge you won't get from any university. Only true Rasta brethren understand this misfortune.

Nevertheless, by the Grace of the Most High, Africa shall rise. And no African child shall be battered from the cradle to the grave. Until then, our salvation rests in His Mighty Merciful Hands. Jah guide

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

"Until then, our salvation rests in His Mighty Merciful Hands. Jah guide" - Ras Tuge

Jah or whatever the fuck his name is won't solve anybody's problems in Africa. I am sick all these misguided religious ideologies in Africa which tell us that our fate rests in the hands of some supreme being. We have the power to turn the tide; if we want to change Africa, then we have to DO IT OURSELVES. Was it Jah or Jesus or Mohammed who championed for the abolition of slavery? was it a supernatural natural being who fought for the independence of African countries from her colonial masters? did Nelson Mandela fold his hands and rely on god? did Obama sit in Chicago and wait for Jah to make him President of the United States?

Africans, please do not be fooled by religion. Religion has brainwashed you for centuries and left you with nothing. You are in control of your own destiny. Stand up and change the status quo...god won't descend from heaven and do it for you.

[Marco]

Massa,sent Biyiti to jail since he knew from the start that you can't keep public moneyin private accounts,and secondly,the point that he could have died the day after the tranfer,indicates a secondary intention.A thief can never accept his fault even when caght red-handed.Don't spare the rod and spoil the child

[Ras Tuge]

Little brother USofAfrica, i feel pity for you. I was angry before about your juvenile attitude, but i've realised that your foul language is simply a gloomy cry for help.

What i like about you is the fact that you seem to relish confrontation, eventhough you don't like knowledge very much. You seem so miserable that you go on a blasphemous rampage for the wrong reasons. Before you can change Africa buddy, you MUST know why Africa is where it is. There can be no cure for your sick 'chatty chatty' mouth when there's no understanding of your illness.

I understand your frustration about slavery, colonialism, black marginalisation etc. But take another look at Africa, and you'll realise that the continent was consigned to a lifetime of servitude and misery. Africa is not yet free man. The slavery and colonialism you fail to see in Africa today is worse off than what we read about in history books. It'll take a miracle for Africa to rise, but it shall rise when Jah decides.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Ras Tuge,
so according to you, Africa is at the mercy of Jah. Where was Jah during slavery and colonialisation? if he didn't intervene then, he probably will never intervene. You people are no different from mindless religious fanatics. As Karl Marx said, religion is the opium of the masses (especially the brainwashed African masses).

I am fully aware of the fact that Africa is not free and the truth is, Africa will never be free if we keep waiting on Jah to come and liberate us. Yes! we should understand the problem first but only us not fix it. Not Jah. Not nobody.

So, if you are living by example, all Africans should escape the continent, marry the daughters of Babylon, and wait for Jah to liberate the continent. The level of stupidity on these blogs is just startling.

[Ras Tuge]

And the champion of stupidity is USofAfrica. Man you quoting Karl Marx to an emancipated Rasta castle like Ras Tuge?! You believe Marx, and deny the Most High! Bumboklaat! Listen now man, that shit named Marxism was jammed with flaws and that's why it died with it's controversial master.

Was it not the same shallow-minded Karl Marx who, in his Communist Manifesto, foolishly DISMISSED democracy by describing it as a temporary system of government that would only survive till when a large self-serving group started bloc voting at the detriment of the masses? Ofcourse Marx was wrong. Eventhough democracy has never been equitable in Africa, atleast 'chatty chatty' mouths like you can always insult people thanks to freedom of expression.

For answers as to where Jah was during slavery and colonialisation, read the story of Noah. BE NOT FEARFUL OF AVAILABLE KNOWLEDGE bro. Remember Jah said: 'those who trust in Me are like Mount Zion. I shall provide for them even when they are asleep and they shall chant with joy as they bring in the harvest.'

Going by Jah word, Africans inherited a curse from Ham, a tremendous curse that has tormented the continent till date. However, throughout this untold tribulation, the faith in calling on Ras Tafari remained unabated. That is why black people shall soon rise, and Africa shall become the cornerstone. That is going to happen!

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Ras Tuge,
your stupidity keeps surprising me. So quoting a single phrase from karl Marx means that I support ALL OF HIS IDEAS right? rrright. You showered some praise on Biya for maintaining some degree of peace in Cameroon. Does that mean you support ALL OF HIS POLICIES? what backward logic. From the mess you write on this forum, I really shouldn't be surprised.

I am fully aware of the story of Noah in Genesis and all those other fictitious biblical stories. I, nor any of my ancestors, didn't inherit any curse from some fictitious character called Ham. These stories of Africans being cursed were fabricated to justify the myth of african inferiority/European superiority and shockingly enough people like you believe it. If your Jah is so loving and fair, why did he allow the curse in the first place? why did he let billions of Africans suffer due to one person's mistake? how then is your story of Jah different from the fictitious story of Adam and Eve? after all, doesn't the bible say that god punished mankind for the sins of adam and eve? how different then is jah from the christian god? aren't they both irrational for punishing a whole universe because few people pissed them off? as I said before, you are no different from mindless christian fanatics. Different stories, same enslaved mentality.

There is no curse. The black man can read, write, think, develop...and it has been proven many times before. We need to wake up from our slumber and start to change our lives and our continent. This false notion that some magical supreme power is preventing us from achieving our full potential is ridiculous; it does nothing but justify the corrupt actions of African politicians. Cast off your tribalism and move forward together.

Have you forgotton that it was your fellow rasta man who said emancipate yourself from mental slavery? SMH.

[Ras Tuge]

The Rastaman is the only one left since Jah creation, as true Rastas chant. As a black man, i have arisen and denoted myself. No white man can teach me about life, i searched for the truth by myself. I know that my inner and outward lifes are based on the sacrifices of both the living and the death. But most of all, i know that my inner man belongs to a higher power.

It is sad when Africans get tricked by Europeans into accompanying them in the blazing hell fire! USofAfrica, Africans believed in a higher power even before the white man came.

When Robert Nesta Marley chanted in Redemption song; emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, non but ourselves can free our minds. Some say it's just a part of it. We've got to fulfill the book! Yes, powerful stuff for all African children, including USofAfrica.

Bob meant; use your minds to develop yourselves, and don't let your existence be defined by others. He emphasized the need to use the Book of Jah as the tool to socio-political, and hence industrial freedom. Now, you say the black can read, write, think etc. So what has the black man achieved with all that ability?

You say we need to wake up from our slumber. Good! That's exactly the garbage that Nkrummah was chanting on the eve of Ghanian independence from Britain in 1957. When Ghana celebrated it's 50th independence anniversary recently, nobody could explain why Kuala Lumpur had by far overtaken Accra, eventhough both countries were at the same level of economic growth.

No where in the world would you encounter the sort of complexity as you would find in Africa. There's obviously a reason for that.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Ras Tuge, you are an IDIOT. Period.
I have asked you before, if your so-called JAH loves you and Africa so much, why has he let black people suffer for so long?

and then you say Nkrumah's message on the eve of Ghanaian independence was rubbish? really? was is so "rubbish" about calling for independent African states and prosperity in Africa? was is so "rubbish" about that? you can argue that Nkrumah's execution of his goals were bad to call his idea rubbish just baffles me. Your backward logic is startling. As I said you are an idiot. In attempt to sound prophetic, you have carelessly rambled around with words and ended up sounding like a fool (and rightfully so). SMH.

[Jerrychiafs]

Ras and USofA why should reasonable guys like u blab like babies? after all the verbal charade and offensive words poured on each other i will love to reconcile u guys on some issues.
USofA!! u are right when u say we are in control of our destiny and we can recsurrect Africa by ourselves if only we cultivate some unity and love for out continent Africa.One thing i totally disagree with u in is ur senseless dismissal of God's Presence. I believe in God and i know he has also given us freedom to take control of our lives and activities but we must acknowlege his presence and overriding influence in our everyday lives and and activities. u cited lots of Pan Africanist like Madela and even suggested that they havent waited for Jah. Why dont u stand out like Obama and Mandela what are u waiting for???
And my Brother Ras!!! u have a big problem here. u are caght up in a ridiculous ideology. U have been reading the wrong books my brother. God only said man was to sweat for his sustainance. Come to think of it we are talking abt corruption and other vices plaging Africa let me remind you that other continents are sweating their anuses out with other problems. We need love,if we have love we will break all barriers of poverty corruption and other vices and that will be the gate way to a happy globe. we should not forget to look onto God for guidance and direction.

U guys should stop bombarding each other with quotations. The solutions arent in those men.

[NDOFOR PETER]

A CAMEROON, NDIFOR ELEVES FUNUI, RESIDENT IN NIGER HAS WON THIS YEARS CONCERN WORLDAIDE WRITING COMPETION. DETAILS ON THIS WEBSITE: http://www.concern.net/blogs/posts/and-winners-are

[Sona]

A hand of applause to Mr Biyiti or what they call that your name. Is a shame on you and your entire family. Just listen to yourself. What do you take us for fools or what? You are a thief and must be punished for that. So keep all these your cock and bull stories to yourself and tell your family when ever your prison term will be over, so they can hold on to that for consolation.