16, October 2016

The trial of Captain Bouba Simala: Will Cameroonian military officers please stand up!! 0

The former body guard of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Captain Bouba Simala, is reportedly dying in a military detention centre in Yaounde. Detained ever since June 2015, the nephew of Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, President of the National Assembly was accused for attempted kidnapping, terrorism and incitement to robbery.

Captain Bouba has been brought before the military tribunal several times on charges concocted against him by his uncle Cavaye Yeguie Djibril. Recently, the facts were reclassified as mere threats and insults to the speaker of the National Assembly. These new developments hinted our Yaounde city reporter, are simply a game of hide and seek.

The trial of the captain has been politicised and is not advancing. The last hearing, held on the 13th of October resulted in another referral. The Speaker of the National Assembly has reportedly hired Barrister Fostine Fotso Chebou Kamdem who is only interested in keeping the captain in police drag net as long as Cavaye stays on as Speaker of the National Assembly.

It is hard to believe that the men and women protecting the regime would allow one of their own to be humiliated in this manner. Lieutenant-Colonel Mefand was compelled to suspend the hearing indefinitely after House Speaker; Cavaye Djibril’s lawyer moved a motion to that effect.

According to Article 598 of the Criminal Procedure Code, once the magistrate receives a copy of the application in conformity with the provisions of Article 594 (2), it is tenuous to suspend the proceedings until a decision is made.

This CPDM action has now led to a postponement of the trial to the 10th of November 2016. The defense lawyer, Barrister Emmanuel Simh has made it clear that the current suspension was a means to extend the duration of his client in the military detention centre in Yaounde. Will Cameroonian military officers please stand up!!

By Rita Akana