The hearing was adjourned to March 4 after grilling three of the over seven witnesses.
The Limbe Court of First Instance Friday March 1, 2013 witnessed an unprecedented turnout of people who came to witness the hearing of the case pitting the State of Cameroon against the former General Manager of SONARA, Charles Metouck and two others. Opening the proceedings, the President of the Court, Justice Tatsi Theophilus, read out the charges against the accused which includes inter alia forgery of documents, usurpation of office and illegal retention of and destruction of documents belonging to SONARA. Justice Tatsi rejected the application for bail by defense counsel arguing that the application failed to spell out the conditions for the bail.
The Prosecuting counsel then presented a list of its witnesses who all answered present. The lead defense counsel, Barrister Maurice Welabi Nguemako, who led a battery of eleven lawyers, prayed the court to order the Board Chairman of SONARA, John Ebong Ngolle, to appear before the court as witness for the accused. The presiding judge stated that he reserves the legal right to summon him if the need arises but that the accused can summon him if they so desire. The new General Manager of SONARA, Ibrahim Talba Malla, was presented as the first prosecuting witness by the State Counsel. Talba Malla recounted the sequence of events in SONARA from February 15 when he became GM. He revealed that John Ebong Ngolle accepted to have authorised Charles Metouck to enter into the GM’s office but expressed surprise that the accused had destroyed some documents. Talba Malla denied haven given his accord as stated in the alleged authorisation note signed by John Ebong Ngolle. The said authorisation note alongside the handing over note and the lone resolution of the Board meeting were submitted as exhibits.
Two other Prosecuting witnesses, Soh Sirri Erica and Kenye all narrated how documents for payment undertaking for Sahara Energy and payment for a bill to Gremcore company both supplies to SONARA which were duly signed on February 18 by Charles Metouck carried the date of February 14, 2013. Mrs. Soh Erica who is a senior Commercial Officer at SONARA told the Court that her immediate boss, Ngalle Mouelle Noe (Commercial Manager) ordered that the name of Ibrahim Talba Malla be substituted by Charles Metouck on grounds that the banks might not be aware of the management change at the refinery. Quizzed in a cross examination to state the content of the said document, she revealed that the payment involved more than FCFA 100 billion and another bill of 36 million US Dollars.
The hearing was adjourned to Monday 4 March by the presiding judge who urged the General Manager of SONARA to be present given the importance of the case.
