Bishops Reiterate Need for Senior Gov’t Officials to Declare Their Assets

Cameroon Catholic Bishops

 Catholic Bishops of Cameroon have called on government to implement Article 66 of the Constitution that requires that senior government officials declare their assets and property when entering office and when leaving   office.

The President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, Archbishop Samuel Kleda of the Douala Archdiocese made the demand in Batouri, East Region, and last weekend at the end of the 39^th annual seminar of the bishops.

“The Bishops stand firmly for the declaration of assets in compliance with Article 66 of the Constitution,” Kleda read in a final release at the end of the seminar. Present was the representative of President Paul Biya, Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reform, Michel Ange Angouing.

The bishops came up with the position on the heels of the report on the state of corruption in Cameroon. “Reverend Pastor Dieudonné Massi Gams, President of the National Anti-corruption Commission, presented to the bishops the true and preoccupying situation of corruption in Cameroon,” Samuel Kleda said in the press release.

The bishops’ appeal is coming at the time when Cameroon is celebrating the 10^thanniversary of the 1996 revised constitution of the country. The new constitution had as one of its provisions, the need for public officials to declare their assets both when entering and leaving office. So far, that has never happened.

Among other things discussed at the seminal were the role of the priest in family welfare. The Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, Piero Pioppo thanked families for their exemplarily unity, solidarity and diverse support to the church.