It is unprecedented in the history of the fight against corruption in Cameroon! Former general manager of the Cameroon airlines, Camair, Yves Michel Fotso, was within four days sentenced with two life jail terms, and we gathered from sources within his family, they are afraid he may just be on his way to committing suicide.
The business tycoon and son of a billionaire Friday 29 April, had probably one of the worst days of his life when he was slammed another life jail sentence for embezzling over 10 billion FCFA between 2000 and 2002.
He had suffered the same fate four days earlier from Justice Virginie Eloundou for illegally pocketing 34 billion FCFA while he served as executive head of the defunct national carrier.
Both life jail sentences came on the heels of a 25-year jail term he had incurred back in 2012; all for issues related to management while at the helm of CAMAIR.
It was a little after 5pm that Friday when the presiding judge, Justice Francis Claude Moukouri, pronounced the verdict on Fotso, also ordering that huge sums of money lodged in some of his bank accounts, notably at BICEC, Afriland First Bank, CBC and UBA, just to cite these few, be confiscated with immediate effect.
The accounts are said to be owned by companies in which Yves Michel Fotso had shares, notably; Fotso Group Holding, Capital Financial Holding, Clean Oil Logistic and Clean Oil Recording.
Fotso’s verdict has created history as he becomes the first accused within the framework of the operation sparrow hawk to receive two life sentences, and in less than a week.
Just like in the pronouncement early last week, that of last Friday was delivered in the absence of all five of Yves Michel Fotso’s counsels, having decided last February not to attend any more hearings, alleging deliberate attempts by court officials to prevent their client a fair hearing.
Delivering the ruling, the lead counsel of the trial team, Justice Francis Claude Moukouri, ordered the confiscation of about 12 of Michel Fotso’s frozen accounts in both local and foreign banks. He is also to pay 9 billion FCFA to the State as compensation for losses caused by the embezzlement, and 958 million FCFA as the cost of the trial.
The other trial judges were, Fotso’s namesake, Justice Michel Onana and Justice Nyassa Luc; while the Advocates General were Justice Jean Claude Taghim and Justice Ngoupa. Michel Fotso was initially accused of fraudulently obtaining 18.9 billion FCFA between 2000 and 2002.
The suit, filed by Camair’s liquidation committee and the state of Cameroon, concerns 4,051,209,866 FCFA, 4,606,130,515 FCFA, and 8,934,203,742 FCFA, all compensation for the famous Boeing 747 ‘Combi’ aircraft crash in Paris, France on November 6, 2000. He was also charged with embezzling 1,400,000,000 FCFA, being the cost of the wreck of the crashed aircraft he sold.
However, the court struck out the charge of embezzlement of 8,934,203,742 FCFA because the prosecution failed to substantiate it. Earlier, Advocate General Taghim had demanded a life sentence for Fotso and the confiscation of all his seized property.
Counsel for the Camair liquidation committee, Barrister Ngongo Ottou Martin, asked for 9.05 billion FCFA as losses caused by the embezzlement. Barrister Mujem Fombad, counsel for the State of Cameroun, supported their position.
Michel Fotso, who was absent from both court sessions sentencing him to perpetuity in prison, is said not to be in a very poor state of health.
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