Motaze says Ministry of Finance cannot audit FECAFOOT’s accounts ⁰

Finance minister, Louis Paul Motaze, asserts that his department is not authorized to audit the accounts of the country’s football federation (FECAFOOT). This comes amidst allegations of misappropriation concerning FECAFOOT’s funds.

Briefed by various deputies on the financial situation of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) and the surrounding suspicions of misappropriation, the Cameroonian Finance Minister, Louis Paul Motaze, clarified the extent of his department’s jurisdiction over this body.

According to the account of his hearing before the finance and budget committee in the context of defending the reinsurance bill, the Minister stated that “the department under my charge is not qualified to audit the accounts of FECAFOOT.”

However, Louis Paul Motaze did specify that an accounts officer from the ministry, assigned to FECAFOOT, provides specific oversight. “He updates information about the subsidies paid by the government,” said the minister.

Deputies were particularly questioning the absence of an official audit of the Federation’s accounts and the veracity of information circulating on social media, which suggested that funds received from the Cameroon-Russia friendly match might have been deposited into a personal account of Samuel Eto’o, President of FECAFOOT.

In response to these allegations, Louis Paul Motaze expressed caution. “I am wary of comments reported on social media,” he told lawmakers.

For several days, whistleblowers have been raising the issue of several hundred million FCFA transfers made into the FECAFOOT president’s personal account in the context of friendly matches against Russia, Mexico, and Azerbaijan.

In an official statement, FECAFOOT confirmed the authenticity of the bank documents that had leaked on social media. However, the body denied any misappropriation, explaining that Samuel Eto’o was acting on a mandate from the Executive Committee, which had authorized him to directly receive these funds.

Source: Business in Cameroon