MIDA case : 9 suspects presented to the Prosecutor, 5 other suspects are still at large
The Cameroonian Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, quoted the names of these suspects during an exchange with the press in Yaounde on 11 June 2018. Here is an excerpt from his speech.
“ Permit me to present a brief history of this case. First of all, with regard to the organization called MIDA, its promoters present it under several spoofed names, including the Africa Commandery of the Military & Hospitaller Order of Saint John, the Integration and Development Mission for Africa – the Apostolic Order of Saint John.
Under the pretext of first aid training and civic education, the promoters had in fact set up a fundraising scheme to collect money as from 12,500 CFA francs, with the promise of paying back the sum of 65,000 CFA francs within a very short period of less than a month. To become a member, each applicant had to pay a miscellaneous fee of about 40,000 CFA francs.
This subterfuge enabled the promoters of “MIDA” to collect substantial financial resources amounting to billions of CFA francs.
However, along the way, the system set up by this organization turned out to be a large-scale scam wherein the many people who subscribed with amounts that kept increasing as new investments and subscriptions were made, eventually did not receive any payment in return of the invested money.
The Government, mindful of the magnitude of the situation, and in its sovereign duty to protect the populations, undertook to carry out investigations through an administrative investigation prescribed by the Head of State.
Following these investigations jointly conducted by the DGSN, the DGRE and the SED, nine suspects were arrested and have today been presented to the Prosecutor of the Mfoundi High Court. These include:
– FOE AMOUGOU Albert Cédric, Administrator General of MIDA;
– ESSA’ALA NTSAMA Patrick alias PEN, Coordinator of MIDA;
– NTSAMA AMOUGOU Marie Blanche who presented herself as a nun working with a foundation based in Mbalmayo;
– FOE Louis Marie, who also introduced herself as a clergywoman;
– NZOKE Félicia Esmeralda Nicaise, MIDA Communications Officer;
– APONTEU GANMO Christelle, Secretary and Treasurer of MIDA;
– ZOE NDO Samuel, bodyguard of MIDA Coordinator;
– BAYIHA II Eric Arsène, bodyguard of the Treasurer of MIDA;
– MBA LAH Henri, vigilante of MIDA.
Five other suspects are still at large. They are:
– AYENG ZILI Varene;
– NGUILENG NTSOLI AYANGMA;
– FOE NKOU Philomène Estelle;
– FOE AWA Anicet;
– and a so-called Modeste, who is yet to be identified.
In all, with regard to the 7th and 8th batches of subscribers, an amount of 18 billion 807 million 425 thousand CFA francs was collected, corresponding to 17 thousand 301 subscribers for 1 million 504 thousand 594 subscribed shares.
Three billion 850 million 442 thousand 275 CFA francs were seized, leaving a shortfall of 14 billion 956 million 982 thousand 725 francs as compared to the amount collected.
Given that the administrative investigation is over, the Government, which, as it should be recalled, is in no way liable for this situation, has referred the case to the courts to establish the responsibilities each and everyone and to lay down the conditions for restoring the respective rights of the subscribers.
It should also be recalled that the action of the Government in this case is to accomplish its sovereign duty to protect the citizens and their properties.”
