Criminal charges against the former Minister of Basic Education (MINEDUB), Haman Adama, who has been languishing in pre-trial detention at the Kondengui prison in Yaounde since 2010, has been dropped by the Special Criminal Court Thursday September 19.

Minister of Basic Education, Haman Adama
Photo: © Archives

Criminal charges against the former Minister of Basic Education (MINEDUB), Haman Adama, who has been languishing in pre-trial detention at the Kondengui prison in Yaounde since 2010, has been dropped by the Special Criminal Court Thursday September 19. Haman Adama born, Halimatou Kangue Mahonde, was arrested on January 6, 2010 and remanded at the Kondengui Central Prison in Yaounde. She was charged with misappropriation of public funds and for improper award of Public Contracts at MINEDUB during the period of 2005-2006. The embezzled fund stood at FCFA 102 million. Indirectly pleading guilty, the accused restituted to the public treasury the sum total of FCFA 210.000.000 (210 million). However many thought that following article 18 of the law creating the Special Criminal Court, Haman Adama would be set free. The article states “Where the corpus delicti (The body of evidence that constitute the offence; the objective proof that a crime has been committed) 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 (An entry in the court record to the effect that the plaintiff or prosecutor will not proceed) against prosecution prior to committal before the trial Court.” It was until Thursday September 19, 2013 that charges against the erstwhile Basic Education boss were dropped. Her first appearance before the Special Criminal Court dates back to May 23, 2013.