The Garoua cable theft trial has been adjourned to May 23, 2014 at the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde.

The case between the State of Cameroon represented by Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL) and Sadou Hama Adama, alias Bapetel, and Traore Yacouba was again called up on May 7, 2014 at the Special Criminal Court in Yaounde.

Although the accused were absent for the fourth time, the Head of the panel of Judges hearing the case, Mr Justice Michel Jean-Claude Onana proceeded by presenting a judicial expert’s report on the exact evaluation of CAMTEL’s cable stolen by Sadou Hama Adama, alias Bapetel, and Traore Yacouba.

During the last court session, the Legal Department requested a judicial expert’s financial report assessing the exact value of CAMTEL’s cable stolen by the accused. However, sources at CAMTEL had revealed that the cost of cables stolen by the accused was evaluated at the sum of FCFA 116 million. With the request from the Legal Department, the Special Criminal Court requested a judicial financial report which was presented by Semdi Soulaye, a Judicial Accounting Expert at the Court of Appeal in the Far-North Region.

Mr Justice Michel Jean-Claude Onana handed the expert’s report to the Legal Department and the representative of the civil claimant, CAMTEL. Both parties asked for time to study the report before they could make any remarks. As such, the case was adjourned to May 23 for parties to make observations on the expert’s report.

According to the case file, Sadou Hama Adama and Traore Yacouba are being accused of stealing CAMTEL cable connections in Garoua, North Region. It is reported that the accused were fond of cutting off cable meant for CAMTEL connections in the region. The Special Criminal Court has ordered the search and arrest of the accused before the case can proceed.