The former CRTV boss from the bottom of his Kondengui prison cell room says ‘the truth will revenge”.
Amadou Valmouke was appointed Director General of the CRTV in 2005.
Eleven years after, he was dismissed, arrested and accused of embezzlement of public funds amounting to over three billion CFA francs.
He has been under provisional detention without trials in the Yaounde Kondengui prison since July 2016.
Human rights organization and other profession organizations have described the procedure of his situation as a “bait” or a “judicial cabal”.
From the bottom of his cell, the former director of the National media wrote a message titled ” The truth will revenge”.
“Local 131. It is the cell of the Kondengui Central Prison, in Yaoundé, which has become my home since July 29, 2016.
When each of its ten occupants (for 20 square meters) has slipped under its sheet, I sometimes, before finally getting to sleep, relive these strong emotions that had embraced me in high school when the history teacher told about the slave trade. I imagined one of these chained slaves, sitting bent in a hold and wondering, “But what am I doing here? Where are we going ? What Gods have I offended and what price will I pay for my redemption? ”
The slave of the time had no answer, any more than I do today, since I cannot be satisfied with that which justice gives me of my country: “Misappropriation of public funds by artificial inflation of the Audiovisual Royalty For the sole benefit of the Crtv which I then directed.
Indeed, it was established that there had been no diversion, no swelling, and no loss of money. The Audiovisual Royalty is a tax intended to finance public audiovisual. This money is managed by the Treasurer Paying General only. Who can think that, coming from the offices of Cameroon RadioTelevision (Crtv), I could have introduced myself into its services to manipulate its accounting books and thus “inflate” the figures there? Well, since the justice of here has admitted against all common sense, I can only undergo the more than three years of illegal imprisonment with regard to my acquired status of free accused.
This lack of credible charges justifies the record of 24 dismissals from my trial which cannot be validly held and which is akin to a … dramatic comedy. Because, here, the mass is said as soon as you are indicted. You are rightly hoping that the obvious truth to be established will eventually flow. Seeing nothing coming, you hold on to the hope that violations of the Law during the various hearings will be denounced and will eventually be recognized.
It is to ignore that justice does not rest on the laws and that nothing will change there, any more the legal deadlines largely exceeded (detained for more than 1200 days whereas the Law fixes a limit of nine months) that the illegal commissions forensic experts who are not. You cannot dream of any remedy, because the law has not provided for a procedure when it is violated by justice. You understand then that you will not solve the squaring of the circle, any more than your judges who sometimes receive as instruction from their “hierarchy” that they must “defend the position of the public prosecutor to the absurd”. We can continue to talk about this “independent justice” and the “separation of powers” supposed to prevent the Keeper of the Seals from getting involved in legal proceedings.
What cynicism must be had to prevent me from going to treat myself abroad even though Cameroonian and foreign specialists have stressed the extreme gravity of the severe neuropathy from which I now suffer? These same experts requested my medical evacuation given the absence of the necessary infrastructure in Cameroon and the proven risk of paralysis. It is undoubtedly still the “hierarchy” which decided on November 28 to deprive me not only of my freedom but also of all the medical assistance which I urgently need. The Tribunal still had to resolve to “obey” the law and to reject my request for provisional release, which was nevertheless necessary on humanitarian and legal grounds.
So what is the point, as my lawyers have pointed out, of the long list of “criminals” convicted and released on medical grounds? Did you say “double standards”? You then wonder why this justice crushing lives, which overwhelms high-ranking personalities hit with prison terms for periods between 10 years and 50 years: Prime Minister, Secretaries General of the Presidency of the Republic, Ministers, Rectors of university, DG of public companies, prefects, mayors, public accountants. For my part, I continue to wonder constantly about the relentlessness of which I am the victim. My career cannot be the reason, because my collaborators, my environment, my family, all plead in my favor, putting forward my probity and my integrity. But what good is it to want to plead?
President Paul Biya could himself testify in my favor since it was to him that I wrote when I was appointed to refuse to inherit the salary of my predecessor, which I found indecent and which I was able to divide by four. If not my career, then what ??? Seeing no credible reason, I can only deliver a few in bulk, without hierarchical order: “he is haughty” (police, intelligence); he has nothing to do with the Crtv ”(a minister); “He showed on television the daughter of the President of the Republic in light clothes” (video montage made without my knowledge to decide the head of state to resign me); “He dismissed the daughter’s business from the legal adviser to the Head of State of the Crtv” (which is true, for objective reasons); “It is not reliable” (understand “controllable”), etc.
It is true that I had made sure that professionalism was not too sacrificed to other essential considerations. I have always taken care to place the cursor, especially editorial, as close to balance as possible without taking the risk of going too far so as not to break everything. Despite the constraints (pressures), I think I have managed to reconcile the public with its public radio and television which must be located “at the heart of the Nation”, a slogan that I designed and forged for the Crtv. It is also true that I signed, as president of the Union of Journalists of Cameroon (UJC), a memorandum directly addressed to the Government asking for nothing less than the liberalization of the audiovisual landscape as well as the decriminalization of crimes of hurry.
Even today, out of naivety or out of confidence in the future of my country, I cannot admit that all this can justify harassment by the courts, my illegal imprisonment and the inhuman treatment of which I am the victim. I am indeed deprived of examinations and medical treatment adapted to my severe neuropathy recently diagnosed and for which I remain deprived of all care, at the risk of losing the use of my lower limbs. I am well aware that exposing the hostage justice of my country openly today is not likely to move the accused actors who still believe they are unshakable. We thus lend to one of them, accustomed to earthy remarks, to have said “If you are waiting for me at the final judgment, know that I would not come there”.
I would like to continue to hope that these words from a thinker of the XIXth century will one day appear to us as a truth from which we must not stray too far: “the truth is revenge, and whoever hates or despises it, sooner or later will be its prey”, Amadou Valmouke writes from prison.
Kiffasblog.
