Corruption: Chasing flies, big thieves smiling home with billions!.

Both text and pictures may not be an exaggeration, apart from the fact that even if charged, they remain innocence until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. 

The members of government have however been implicated in various financial scandals. Take the case of COVID-19 funds. Investigative bodies scrutinised multiple cabinet ministers, including heads of basic education, scientific research, and livestock; over unverified accounting regarding pandemic relief funds.

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, which gave 382 million dollars in emergency funds to Cameroon since the start of the pandemic, said it was important for the authorities to keep track of companies contracted as part of its COVID-19 response.

President Paul Biya, harkening to alarms raised, ordered an investigation. 

On November 16, 2021, the audit report was leaked. Part of the report read: “...no information on the management of the stocks of medicines was provided to the Audit Bench. These medicines were not taken over by the Stores Accountant and nobody at the Ministry of Public Health, MINSANTE, was able to say where they were stored. 

In addition, no information relating to the payment of these three contracts, for 536,443,636 FCFA is recorded, neither in the accounts of the Specialised Paymaster at MINSANTE, nor in the Statement of Account of cash payments of MINSANTE for 2020..."

It added that: “In view of these elements, and in particular the inability of MINSANTE officials to identify the storage location, the Audit Bench considers it highly likely that either these medicines were diverted to private individuals or that they were delivered fictitiously”.

It concluded that: “In total, the Audit Bench notes that Special Contracts No. 029, 035 and No. 022, were received and paid for between April and October 2020, for a total amount tax inclusive of 1,255,274,772 FCFA; whereas the services were not completed as at December 21, 2020”. 

Parliament wanted to have a copy, which was promised but the decision was unexpectedly cancelled on June 25, 2021. The 171-page document confirmed the malpractice accusations of a preliminary report that was leaked on social media in May 2021.

It added accusations like favoritism, conflicts of interest, and several rule violations. 

The report alleged government bodies awarded contracts on questionable grounds, falsified accounts, and caused losses of 15 billion FCFA to the State, by choosing a more expensive provider of COVID-19 tests, among other allegations.

Human Rights Watch called on the IMF to push Cameroon to publish the results of the audit and prosecute suspects, making it a condition of a new loan package.

"The IMF should take seriously the opportunity a new multi-year loan programme presents to press for deep-seated governance reforms that will improve Cameroon's transparency and accountability during this pandemic and beyond," it said. 

Billions reportedly went into private pockets of the “mighty” upstairs.

COVID-19 is not the only pandemic spreading embezzlement scandals. There is also the Olembe Stadium, a multi-billion FCFA contract awarded without any competitive tender. 

It is said the cost is twice an identical stadium in Côte d'Ivoire, and remains uncompleted as per original specifications.

There is also the scandalous case of Glencore bribery confessions in the UK and United States that it bribed Cameroonian officials to buy crude oil at giveaway prices and no one has had the audacity to name the local suspects, despite campaigns for justice by Bâtonnier Akere Muna.

The big boys with money in their deep pockets and power in their hands, even without immunity, display their ill-gotten loots in chains of luxury cars, mansions and landed properties used to conceal the theft.

The treasury is in dire need of finance and the government is banking on loans and small flies pilfering from children allowances, to grapple with development challenges.

As we reported yesterday, the Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, through his Director General of Budget, Cyril Alo’o Edou, has launched the second phase of Operation Family Allowance Audit, code named Operation AALFA, after the first phase, which ended on July 15,2025, with “unsatisfactory” results.

He disclosed that only 61,856 beneficiaries were audited during the first phase, out of the 180,950. Alo’o Edou said 180,950 workers draw benefits for 959,781 children, who are recorded in the State payroll database and that only some 301,083 birth certificates were collected during the control.

It should be noted that the allowance was raised from 2,800 FCFA per child to 4,500 FCFA, prompting a surge of nearly 55% in declared children on the public payroll (rising from roughly 594,000 to over 923,000). 

It was that rise that triggered the government to carry out the census.

The Guardian Post is aware that the law is the law. But while government goes out for the small criminals pinching from the common purse, it should with the same vigour prosecute those at the top, alleged to have embezzled billions while the country goes cap in hand begging for loans.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3861 of Tuesday July 28, 2026