A suspected disappearance of billions of CFA francs from the vaults of Cameroon’s Special Criminal Court has sparked concern in Yaoundé, amid reports of a break-in, the unexplained absence of the court’s chief registrar and uncertainty over the contents of a secure evidence vault.
According to a report by Jeune Afrique, thieves broke into the Special Criminal Court building in the capital during the night of August 29-30, despite the premises being guarded by an elite unit of the national gendarmerie.
The intruders reportedly stole a computer and a relatively small amount of cash kept in drawers belonging to the head of the criminal division of the court registry.
But the break-in is only one part of a much wider concern surrounding the court, which handles cases involving the embezzlement of public funds and related offences when the alleged financial loss reaches at least 50 million CFA francs, equivalent to roughly €76,000.
The incident comes as the court’s chief registrar, Joel Tsiek, has reportedly been unreachable for several days, fueling speculation about what may have happened to assets stored under his responsibility.
Tsiek, who has headed the court registry since the institution was established 14 years ago, reached retirement age in June. Before formally handing over his responsibilities to a successor, however, he reported suffering from health problems that left him unable to work.
He has since stopped appearing at his office and has reportedly remained absent even after news emerged of the recent burglary.
Crucially, according to the report, Tsiek is believed to be the only person holding the key to a secure vault containing seized property and judicial evidence.
The vault is used to store physical evidence, valuables, important documents and cash confiscated or deposited as part of criminal proceedings. The chief registrar is responsible for safeguarding, cataloguing and securing those items.
His continued absence has therefore made it impossible to open the vault and verify whether any of its contents were stolen during the August break-in or may have disappeared at another time.
Inside the court, suspicions are now reportedly growing that a far more serious theft may have taken place, possibly involving property kept under official judicial seal.
Those concerns have been intensified by the registrar’s prolonged absence and the authorities’ current inability to independently check what remains inside the vault.
The secure storage facility is believed to contain billions of CFA francs, including money recovered through plea and settlement procedures involving defendants and convicted officials appearing before the court.
Among those whose cases reportedly generated funds held by the court is former minister Basile Atangana Kouna.
The Special Criminal Court has so far sought to keep the matter out of public view, according to Jeune Afrique. However, the court’s leadership has submitted a report to Justice Minister Laurent Esso outlining the suspicions and seeking instructions on how authorities should proceed.
