CPDM Crime Syndicate: Martinez Zogo Murder trial postponed again ⁰

An administrative delay on July 21 postponed a military court hearing in Yaoundé for the murder case of journalist Martinez Zogo, adjourning it without debate. The Court of Appeal’s rulings from July 17 had not yet reached the Military Tribunal, effectively halting further proceedings. For nearly six months, hearings before the military jurisdiction have been on hold pending these decisions, which lawyers had requested while challenging various aspects of the case. The Court of Appeal ultimately rejected these challenges.

“At this point, we are simply waiting for the case to be referred back to the military tribunal so that the prosecution can present the facts as outlined in the indictment, the witnesses can be heard, and the process can move forward,” explained lawyer Mbuny, counsel for Lieutenant Colonel Justin Danwe, one of the defendants. The military tribunal set the next hearing for August 11.

This marks another adjournment without debate on the merits, one and a half years after the trial began. Discussions continue to focus primarily on procedural compliance and objections regarding how the preliminary investigation and judicial inquiry were conducted.

These two phases revealed that three commandos from the General Directorate for External Research (DGRE), the state counterintelligence service, tailed, abducted, tortured, and murdered Martinez Zogo, head of radio station Amplitude FM, in January 2023. Lieutenant Colonel Justin Danwe, DGRE head of operations, led the unit.

An investigative commission, composed of gendarmes and police officers and established by the President, implicated DGRE chief Divisional Commissioner Maxime Léopold Eko Eko in addition to Danwe and his arrested men. In total, 12 DGRE agents were arrested.

Civilians, including businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, Bibey Mayor Martin Savom, and a notorious fake DGRE agent, were also taken into custody.

Source: Sbbc