Samuel Gotingar, former municipal treasurer of Touboro Council in the North Region has been declared guilty of embezzling FCFA 66,760,779 belonging to the Touboro Council when he was municipal treasurer there between 2012 and 2013. The act is contrary to Articles 74 and 184 of the Penal Code.

Reading the judgement, the head of the panel of judges, Mr. Justice Francis Moukoury revisited the committal order of February 2013 bringing the Touboro Council/Gotingar Samuel case to the Special Criminal Court. He said it all started on April 10, 2013 when a control team from Garoua went to Touboro to control the finances of the State.

After investigations, the control team discovered a deficit of FCFA 66,760,779.There was a FCFA 40 million bank deficit, a cash shortage of FCFA 18 million and deficit in slaughter house taxes, market tickets and municipal parking lots for the sum of FCFA 8 million, making a total of FCFA 66 million.

He said for the FCFA 40 million bank deficit, Gotingar Samuel went to Garoua on April 3, 2014 on the instructions of the mayor to withdraw the amount from the account of the Touboro Council in Afriland First Bank.

The FCFA 40 million included the salaries of workers of January 2013. The accused went with a driver and owner of the vehicle, Dingam Daikoro as well as one agent of the council with whom he always travelled. While returning to Toubouro, they were attacked by armed robbers who took away the money.

In his conclusion, Mr Justice Francis Moukoury said concerning the robbery attack, there was no concrete proof to show that Gotingar was attacked by armed robbers and the robbery attack was a set up by Gotingar as revealed by preliminary inquiries and investigations after the incident.

He thereby declared Gotingar guilty of embezzlement. Civil claimant, Honoré Mbang prayed the court to make Gotingar pay and additional sum of FCFA 5 million thus making FCFA 68,828,379. Advocated General, Jean Claude Taghim opted for life imprisonment for Gotingar, seizure of his property and a ban from all public offices for life.

While invoking mitigating circumstances, Defence Lawyer, Barrister George Armand Ondowe said Samuel Gotingar had worked in several capacities as municipal treasurer and had never embezzled. Samuel Gotingar in his declaration pleaded on the court to be indulgent and clement in its judgment.

Samuel Gotingar will pay FCFA 63,828,379 to the State. He would serve additional two years and six months in prison if he does not pay the money. Also, he will have to pay FCFA 3,352,353 to court as charges. The accused was given 48 hours to appeal at the Supreme Court.