Cameroon Justice Minister Laurent Esso accused of ‘fraud’

The Minister of State for Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Laurent Esso, has again come under sharp criticism for dragging the law in the mud.

The longtime justice minister is accused of admitting two candidates deemed unqualified into the Chamber of Notaries.

Mrs. Regine Dooh Collins, President of the Chamber of Notaries, is also accused of complicity in the fraud.

Essoh Mbomo Desire and Ngah Mvogo Aline, who appear at numbers 8 and 18, respectively, on the final list, did not meet the criteria, MMI gathered.

The civil law practiced in the French regions of Cameroon gives the government power over the appointment of notaries, while in the two English regions, practicing lawyers are automatically notaries.

According to whistleblower Paul Chouta, “Essoh Mbomo Desire and Ngah Mvogo Aline had their files rejected from sitting for the recruitment exams but their names surprisingly appeared on the list of successful candidates signed and made public on August 17, 2023, by Justice Minister Laurent Esso.”

The law regulating the appointment of notaries, MMI gathered, stipulates that “to compete for the professional exams of a notary clerk, you must have at least three years experience.”

However, the two candidates had their names registered on the list of potential notaries in December 2022 for an examination to be written in January 2023, gathering just 17 days of experience, which falls short of the laid-down rules.

According to the whistleblower, it remains a mystery how their names appeared on the final list after being rejected at the reception of files for the examination.

Reacting to this development, Douala-based human rights lawyer, Tamfu Richard Esq. said “Once again, the Minister of State, Minister of Justice, and keeper of the seals of the Republic of Cameroon has been caught in flagrante delicto of fraud”.

“While he benefits from the principle of presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a Court of Law, I however, wish that he come out in a press conference to explain himself to Cameroonians on what happened. At least he owes us that,” Barrister Tamfu Richard added.

Minister Laurent Esso has, during his time in office, been accused of violating the law with impunity.

The latest fraud in notary appointments comes just a few days after Cameroonian students in the Rwandan law school cried out after being excluded from sitting for the final bar exams due to the “failure of the government of Cameroon to respect the reciprocity agreement and the unwillingness of Justice minister to travel to Rwanda and meet his counterpart”

One legal expert who spoke to MMI also said, “For nine years and counting, the minister has refused to organise the bar exams in Cameroon, frustrating the dreams of pupil advocates.”