SUPREME COURT ANNULS LIFE SENTENCES IN NERA 10 CASE, ORDERS RETRIAL
In a landmark ruling delivered on 19 March, Cameroon’s Supreme Court has overturned the life imprisonment sentences imposed on Sisiku Ayuk Tabe Julius and ten others, collectively known as the “NERA 10.”
The decision nullifies the 2020 judgment of the Centre Region Court of Appeal, which had affirmed earlier convictions handed down by the Yaoundé Military Tribunal. The accused had been found guilty of charges including secession, terrorism, and hostility against the state. They were sentenced in August 2019, along with substantial financial penalties amounting to hundreds of billions of FCFA.
The ruling was delivered by the Criminal Bench of the Supreme Court, presided over by Marie Louise Abomo. The court set aside the appellate judgment on procedural grounds identified by the bench itself, without delving into the substantive arguments presented by the defense.
The case has now been remitted to the Court of Appeal for a fresh hearing before a newly constituted panel, effectively reopening proceedings in one of Cameroon’s most high-profile legal matters.
This development is widely interpreted as a signal that significant procedural irregularities may have affected the earlier trials, raising expectations of a more balanced and thorough judicial review.
George Tando Jitzi.
