Communication minister mobilises against corruption …

Issa Tchiroma Bakary says the fight against corruption is permanent. Cameroon’s Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary has said the ongoing fight against corruption will continue till the country is purged of corruption and public wealth protected for the general interest. Issa Tchiroma in a press conference in Yaounde yesterday, February 02 explained what the executive and judiciary arms of government were doing to fight against corruption. Operation Sparrow Hawk selective In answering the question on whether the current arrest and trail of corruption suspects known as “Operation Sparrow Hawk” was not selective, the Communication Minister said the fight against corruption was permanent and that no corrupt manager of public funds could escape the dragnet of the anti-corruption drive. Mr Tchiroma said President Paul Biya who is accountable to the Cameroonian people started the fight against corruption as far back as 1982 when he acceded to the Supreme magistracy. He noticed the deviant behaviour of some managers and came out with “Rigour and Moralisation” as a guide. Government, the minister said, knows where it is going with regard to the fight against corruption and the Head of State has the timing for every file at the level of the executive. Nobody can force the Head of State against his timing and once the executive arm of government finishes its own part in the anti-corruption fight, the judiciary which is independent takes over. Humiliation of suspects The Minister of Communication also answered another question that stated that the way Operation Sparrow Hawk is carried out leaves many people to believe that the suspect is already condemned. He said justice is the same for all and there is the presumption of innocence. Police officials sent to arrest people for interrogation are not instructed to humiliate them as the dignity of the suspects should be protected. Mr Tchiroma also said nobody is brought before the law courts without his or her lawyer. The protection of the citizens, the Communication boss stated, is the responsibility of the Head of State, adding that as far the anti-corruption fight was concerned nobody could dictate to either the executive or judiciary arms of government what to do and the time because there is separation of powers. Paying back the embezzled funds Issa Tchiroma was also questioned on the preference of many Cameroonians that embezzled funds be paid back instead of imprisoning the corruption officials. He said Cameroon’s Penal Code allows for negotiations between the suspected embezzler and the judiciary for the money to be paid back into the State treasury, further stating that the suspects have lawyers who master the Penal Code. The minister disclosed that as at now, nobody has openly declared the readiness to negotiate. The property of some corruption officials was confiscated by the courts. In this connection, Mr Tchiroma said the property was just a tip of the iceberg of the public wealth embezzled and said government was diligently investigating where the stolen wealth was stocked. The process, he said, was delicate but government will spare no effort in going right to the end. Law on declaration of assets The Head of State, the communication minister said, was gradually applying Article 66 of the Constitution which provides for a certain category of State officials to declare their assets and property when entering and leaving office. Journalists said the inexistence of a text of application to the law was encouraging corruption. According to Issa Tchiroma, the law was not imposed on the Head of State, stating that he is applying the law through anti-corruption institutions such as units in ministries, Supreme State Audit Office, National Anti-corruption Commission, National Programme on Governance and other independent institutions. The institutions check the ostentatious living conditions of some managers of State funds. The minister concluded that Article 66 of the Constitution is producing the desired results. Anti-corruption to eliminate political rivals The Minister of Communication singling out the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), President Biya’s party and commented on statements that the Head of State was using the anti-corruption fight to eliminate his rivals within the party in the next presidential election. Issa Tchiroma said the CPDM constitution provides that the party’s candidate in a presidential election is its national chairman. Since the party has only one chairman, the arrest, trial and jailing of corrupt officials, some of whom happen to be CPDM militants, cannot be considered as a means by the Head of State to eliminate his rivals. He said honest militants could still gather money not from public funds to contest for elections