The former Minister of Water and Energy is thus requesting through his lawyers that all charges against him be dropped and he be freed from prison.
In a letter addressed to the State Prosecutor signed by his lawyer Yossa Kamga, Basile Atangana Kouna has reimbursed One billion, Seven hundred and thirty-six million, Four hundred and one thousand, eight hundred and seven francs cfa (1,736,401,870).
The money was deposited into State coffers on April 9, according to the letter as the lawyers plead with the court to drop the charges as per article 3 of the decree the Presidential Decree Outlining Conditions for Reimbursing Embezzled Funds which states that:
“Where the corpus delicti is restituted, the, Procureur General of the Court may, subject to a written authorization by the Minister in charge of Justice, enter a nolle prosequi against prosecution prior to committal before the trial Court.
Jailed #Cameroon minister Atangana Kouna accused of embezzling state funds reimburses over one billion francs Cfa(close to 2 million US dollars) to state coffers as lawyers file request for his release. pic.twitter.com/Yl18C76heB
— Aju Mane (@FrankAjumane) April 22, 2018
However, it is not certain if the court will abandon the charges given that such circumstances have been dealt with differently in the past.
In 2013, former Minister of Basic Education Haman Adama was set free after reimbursing money she was accused of embezzling. However, Yves Michel Fotso has been maintained in jail for the past eight years despite reimbursing the funds he is accused of embezzling.
Even the court decides to drop corruption charges, Atanga Kouna could still be charged for illegal immigration after he forced his way into Nigeria violating a travel ban imposed on him
