They are accused by the National Anti-Corruption Commission of collecting a tax known as the hammering fee on timber that they do not pay to the public treasury.

In the timber industry, corruption networks are flourishing and are often maintained by state agents. Some of them, whose identities have not yet been revealed, are in the sights of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC) and accused of abuse of office and fraud. 

"The Cameroonian League for Human Rights, Democracy and Governance (LICAMDH) carried out a cross-checking mission in some timber yards in the Mfoundi department, following a denunciation of fraud by MINFOF agents. It emerges from this mission that the domestic timber market is not regulated, and that most of the timber stored in the various sales and processing units comes from the illegal exploitation of our forests," reads a letter from the vice president of CONAC, François Anoukaha, sent to the Minister of Forests and Wildlife, Jules Doret Ndongo, dated February 19, 2021 and of which Cameroon-Info.Net has a copy.

Indeed, some MINFOF agents are accused of collecting a tax called hammering fees at a rate of 100 FCFA per piece and whose sums generated would benefit only MINFOF agents and not the public treasury.

"Also, I would be grateful if you could enlighten me on the legality of this tax as well as on the existence or not of a regulation relating to the domestic timber market", demands CONAC to MINFOF.

The head of this ministerial department has entrusted the management of this case to his Secretary General, Joseph Nyongwen, enjoining him to cross-check all information relating to this case; to flatten the system; and to identify the rogue agents responsible for the loopholes in the system, Cameroon-Info.Net has learned.

Source : cameroun-info.net

MINFOF agents accused of corruption in the management of hammering fees

Cameroon, MINFOF, timber sector, traceability, CONAC, tax, hammering fees