This is a major blow to the Ekang Federation’s diplomacy. Having initially pleaded guilty to money laundering, international fraud, forgery, impersonation, and trafficking in illicit substances, their lawyer had promised the prosecutor’s office their full cooperation in exchange for a review of their sentence to 20 years, meaning 10 years in a Vietnamese high-security prison, and then a transfer to Cameroon to serve the remainder of their sentence. (That is, to be released, knowing the MBOA system).
However, given the extent of the revelations obtained after exposure to Vietnamese cuisine, the Attorney General deemed the facts so serious that he could not treat them as ordinary criminals. And having pressure from the American Embassy, which requested its involvement in the investigation, given that Armand Assé specialised in counterfeiting and trafficking dollars, which is American heritage, Washington requested heavier sanctions to discourage other potential future candidates.
The French and Cameroonian governments remained silent on the situation, given that both held French and Cameroonian passports. The Vietnamese justice system handed them the harshest sentence: 40 years for Onguené, Armand Asse’s accomplice. Onguené, incidentally, testified against Armand Asse, saying he was merely a subordinate in the system and that this was his first operation abroad. Onguené spilt everything he knew about the network, including names implicating Cameroonian embassy staff abroad.
Armand Asse was sent to death row, where the organised crime lords are held. His lawyer appealed to try to negotiate, given the information provided by Armand Asse, to commute his sentence to a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 50 years if he performed well.
Armand Asse broke down in tears during his appearance. His accomplice, Nanga Onguene Xavier, was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
In short, this was the end of the adventure for the FEDEK president, who would never see Cameroon again. Perhaps only to return to his final resting place.
CAMEROONIAN FEYMAN ARMAND ASSE SENTENCED TO DEATH IN VIETNAM
