The Special Criminal Court, SCC, in Yaounde, on Friday, June 24, 2016, slammed a life sentence on Genest née Mbala Ndono Lucie, a former accountant with the Cameroonian Consulate in Marseille, France.

Mbala Ndono, who remained back in France since her replacement and was thus absent throughout the trial that opened on December 30, 2015, was found guilty of misappropriating FCFA 355.9 million. Arrest and detention warrants were also issued for the fugitive.

Genest née Mbala Ndono Lucie was charged with embezzling the amount through illegal bank card withdrawals in Yaounde and Douala, double subscriptions to news publications and "fake money" (that is, intended for use by the Consul, but never spent for the purpose).

All this happened during her tenure in the diplomatic mission lasting from July 1999 to August 2009.

Reading the ruling that lasted less than five minutes, Mr. Justice Michel Jean Claude Onana, leader of the trial team, said the accused woman would also pay over FCFA 357 million to the State in damages.

Mr. Justice Onana was accompanied by Mrs. Justice Jessie Zibi Nsoué and Mrs. Justice Zakiyatou Alioum as judges; while Mr. Justice Edjisna Didier was the Advocate General. Earlier in the hearing of June 10, 2016, Mr. Justice Edjisna Didier in his submission, revisited the undue expenses carried out by the accused, submitting that she be found guilty of all the charges.

The financial anomalies were discovered after a joint audit mission comprising representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Supreme State Audit Office, Ministry of External Relations and the General Delegation of External Research, visited Marseille from April 15-30, 2008. It was led by Cornelius Chi Asafor from the Supreme State Audit Office.