Cameroon: Ex-SONARA General Manager Charles Metouck Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison

By Christopher Ambe 

Charles Metouck

 Charles Metouck, ex- General Manager of Cameroon Oil Refining Company (SONARA) was Wednesday April 24 sentenced to 9 years in prison  after he was found guilty of several charges that included the destruction of public records, forgery, tress pass and the usurpation of the office of his successor

 Mr. Metouck was sentenced by the Limbe Magistrate's Court with two accomplices: SONARA’s Judicial Affairs Director, Jean Jules Edinguelle who was slammed 9 years, 5 months in prison and the company’s Commercial Manager, Ngalle Noel, who was slammed one year in prison. Both Metouck and Edinguelle will each pay a fine of 2.2 million FCFA

   They would serve their jail terms at the Buea Central prison.

  Defense lawyers have to up ten days to file an appeal against the verdict, if they so deem necessary.
   After Mr. Metouck’s replacement as General Manager of SONARA on February 15, 2013 by Ibrahim Talba Malla, the former on February 18,2013 “sneaked” into his former office in the absence of his successor and was destroying sensitive documents, which prompted his arrest and detention, along with others.

  Until his appointment as General Manager of SONARA, Mr. Ibrahim Talba Mala was the General Manager of the Hydrocarbons Price Stabilization Fund (CSPH)

It is worthy of note that Mr. Metouck was GM of SONARA since 2002

   Mr. Metouck’s  has been slammed a 9- year jail term  just weeks after the national audit commission  indicted him for causing  SONARA to lose 26 billion FCFA while he was General manager. 
He was accused of causing SONARA to lose 26 billions FCFA when he was already on trial on the matter for which he has just been slammed a 9 –year prison term.