EXCLUSIVE: Paul Biya raises his voice and opposes the release of Amougou Bélinga
The Martinez Zogo affair now goes beyond a simple legal news item.
The information is contained in a correspondence of exceptional gravity, through which the Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic transmits « Très Hautes Instructions » from Paul Biya, concerning the assassination of journalist Martinez Zogo.
The message is clear, direct, without ambiguity: «LE TRIBUNAL MILITAIRE DOIT ALLER JUSQU’AU BOUT DE LA PROCÉDURE … SANS AUCUNE MISE EN LIBERTÉ PROVISOIRE DE QUI QUE CE SOIT.
Behind the administrative solemnity, a question burns on everyone’s lips: where does political authority stop, where does the independence of justice begin?
By ordering in such a precise manner the conduct of an ongoing judicial procedure, the executive power sends an echo that some will say is reassuring, others deeply disturbing.
●Reassuring, for those who demand that all the light be shed on a crime that shocked the nation.
●Disturbing, for those who see it as direct interference in the functioning of justice.
In a state of law, justice is supposed to be rendered in the name of the people, and not under instruction, however « haute » it may be. However, in this ultra-sensitive case, everything seems to indicate a desire for total control of the judicial process.
So, is it a firm commitment to avoid any excesses… or a dangerous precedent that weakens the balance of power?
« Le Ministre d’État, Secrétaire Général The Minister of State, Secretary General
À
Monsieur le Ministre d’État, Ministre de la Justice, Garde des Sceaux
Yaoundé.
Obiet: Affaire de l’assassinat du sujet journaliste « Martinez Zogo
J’ai l’honneur de vous répercuter les Très Hautes Instructions du Chef de l’État vous prescrivant, en ce qui vous concerne, de veiller à ce que le Tribunal Militaire vide sa saisie au fond, sans aucune mise en liberté provisoire et dans le strict respect des règles de la procédure.»
One thing is clear: the Martinez Zogo affair now goes beyond a simple legal news item. It is becoming a full-scale test of the credibility of the institutions.
Shance Lion
