Marafa Hamidou Yaya, former Minister of State in charge of Territorial Administration and Decentralization has been sentenced to 20 years in prison according to press reports this Wednesday, May 18, 2016, a source close to the Supreme Court of Cameroon, camer.be reports.

The decision was made this morning, after a hearing.The former Minister of State for Territorial Administration, Hamidou Yaya Marafa on April 16, 2012, was sentenced for intellectual complicity by an investigating judge to 25 years in prison.

Since his conviction to 25 years in prison in September 2012, Marafa Hamidou Yaya has consistently maintained his innocence and attributed his malaise to his presidential ambitions which was made public by WikiLeaks during a conversation with the American Ambassador in Yaounde.

After his appeal and multiple references, judges of the College of the Supreme Court gave their verdict this Wednesday, May 18, 2016. The former Minister was sentenced to 20 years in prison.