To all those who think Cameroon is heading towards the right direction- Tell me what you think ? Cameroon: Information on police corruption in Cameroon Published by volunteer.ncadc on May 13, 2013. A press release from the Cameroon Center for Democracy and Human Rights comments on the prevalence of corruption in Cameroon as follows:“Corruption has eaten so deep into the fabric of the Cameroonian society such that it dictates almost every aspect of life. Misappropriate of public funds run across all state structures and public officials, including the President and his Ministers, the leadership of the National Assembly, and Directors of public corporations. In the same light, bribery has become the order of the day and virtually directs daily activities for civil servants and law enforcement officials who continue to engage in corrupt practices with impunity. The Government’s unwillingness to truly hold corrupt officials accountable for their actions is responsible for the institutionalization of corruption as a norm in Cameroon. Today, it is extremely difficult for anyone of a morally upright character to live and effectively function in the Cameroonian society.” (Cameroon Center for Democracy and Human Rights (25 June 2009) Government Endorses Corruption by Arbitrarily Sentencing Anti-Corruption and Civil Society Activists in Cameroon) A country profile of Cameroon published on the Business Anti-corruption Portal website, in a section titled “Police” (paragraph headed “Individual Corruption”), states: “The Cameroonian police are perceived to be the most corrupt public institution in the country, with a large percentage of the surveyed households who had contact with the police in 2009 reporting to have paid a bribe, as illustrated in Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer 2010. The US Department of State 2011 lists a few examples of how corruption takes place between the police and citizens; individuals reportedly pay bribes to the police to secure their freedom or to pass through police checkpoints, and influential people reportedly bribe the police to arrest or harass individuals involved in their personal disputes. The US Department of State 2011 further cites a 2010 report by The Ministry of Justice on Human Rights in Cameroon, which states that 296 police officers were sanctioned or tried in 2010 for wrongdoing, such as extortion. According to Global Integrity 2008, it is customary for drivers to pay between USD 1 and USD 2 in bribes at checkpoints.” (Business Anti-corruption Portal (August 2012) Cameroon Country Profile) In a paragraph headed “Business Corruption” this section of the document also states: “According to Transparency International National Integrity Study – Cameroon 2007, bribery and the demand of facilitation payments to deliver services are frequently practised by the Cameroonian police. The road control police often ask drivers for a ‘road tax’ to exempt them from control of documents. Moreover, cronyism, nepotism, favouritism, and tribalism are very common in the delivery of police services. Given this environment, companies surveyed in the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2011 – 2012 identify the reliability of Cameroonian police services to protect them from crime as unreliable.” (ibid) See also paragraph headed “Political Corruption” which states: “According to the US Department of State 2010, there were sanctioned cases against the police during 2010. For example, in January, police inspector Eric Essama was suspended without pay for three months due to his involvement in extortion and indiscipline. In May, a second grade police officer Zara Mahamat was suspended for three months without pay for embezzlement of public funds and breach of trust. Global Integrity 2008 reports that punishment of corrupt police officers has been lenient compared to the wave of long term imprisonment of politicians and high-ranking government officials that started in 2006.” (ibid) Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland 13 May 2013 Available at UNHCR Refworld
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 07:58:57 +0000
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