Three witnesses testified in court on Thursday March 28 and the case adjourned to April 16. 

The case between the State of Cameroon and the former Registrar-in-Chief of the Bamenda Court of First Instance, in the North West Region, Victor Tambang Mbang Menji, took a different turn last Thursday, March 28 at the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde. After the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses, the Head of the college of Judges hearing the case, Justice Mr Abednego Bea Kala amended the charges against Victor Tambang to two counts instead of one as it was before the hearing. According to the amendment requested by the Legal Department, Victor Tambang is no longer charged for misappropriating State funds worth over FCFA 116 million but for over FCFA 71 million in addition to attempting to misappropriate State money worth over FCFA 80 million.

Representing the Legal Department, Advocate General Richard Wanki said with the amendment of charges against the accused, there was sufficient evidence before the court warranting the accused to be put to defense in respect of the two counts against him. In the witness box, Victor Tambang who had pleaded not guilty said from 1998 to 2003 when he was on duty at the Bamenda Court of First Instance, all emolument vouchers that were raised, were done in accordance with the law.

The accused explained that the raising of emolument vouchers for customary courts in Bamenda was a regular practice by the Registrar-in-Chief of the Bamenda Court of First Instance and existed even before he was appointed in the Region. Although Victor Tambang raised the vouchers, he stressed that they do not belong to him but the judiciary of which he is not the boss but a steward.  While playing his stewardship role, Victor Tambang added that the vouchers that he raised and cashed were handed to the President of the Court in Bamenda and he does not know why the president did not distribute the money to the various beneficiaries. Victor Tambang was however unable to show a receipt to the court to prove that he effectively handed the money to the President of the Court.

Before Victor Tambang was questioned, two prosecution witnesses had taken time to testify. The first prosecution witness, 2nd Grade Assistant Superintendent of Police working with the Regional department of Judicial Police Bamenda, Valery Nlongo Ellobi, said investigation against Victor Tambang established that 12 emolument vouchers raised and cashed by him were fake. The second prosecution witness, Mrs Susan Ngweba Abaando who works at the Regional Treasury in Bamenda identified that some of the vouchers carried the pay stamp of the treasurer, which means that the money had been cashed by the owner of the voucher which she read as “Victor Tambang Mbang Menji”.

One of the accused witnesses, Mrs Anne Asah nee Mbayou who is working at the court in Wum said she has never raised vouchers for customary courts but that when emolument vouchers are raised and cashed, the Registrar-in-chief of the court keeps the money and distributes it after holding a meeting with the State Counsel and the President of the Court. The case was adjourned to April 16, 2013 for the second witness of the defense to be served so that hearing could continue.