Former Ambassador Jerome Mendouga - The Dog That Must Return To Its Vomit

By Avitus Agbor

Former Cameroonian Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Jerome Mendouga, made a petition for political asylum in the United States. That petition, based on its demerits, was declared ‘dead on arrival’ by the United States Immigration Services, a division of the United States’ Department of Homeland Security. His previous official position as plenipotentiary of the Government of Cameroon to the United States; a priceless actor in the political affairs of Cameroon on the international terrain; a member of a ‘state gang’ that has perpetrated gruesome atrocities against its people; a disciple of the disastrous socio-economic and political policies of the CPDM regime, and currently a person of interest in the investigation of the Albatros affair; no wiser decision could have been reached by the asylum officer than denying the petition.

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H.E. Jerome Mendouga resided in the United States, one of the countries in which the number of petitions for asylum (political) by Cameroonians is skyrocketing. As a seasoned diplomat who was misled to believe in the perpetuity of his tenure, he insulated himself from the contextual realities; with regards to the bases upon which such petitions are made, and secondly, who, in practical terms, deserves protection in the United States. Having perused the cap that articulates the eligibility for asylum, he must have been lured to think that not being a permanent resident or citizen of the United States; he would obviously be eligible to make such a petition. However, eligibility to petition for asylum does not necessarily mean approval of that petition.

Had he reflected much on the contextual framework within which asylum petitions are made, he would have understood that different routes could take him to the destination (approval) without electing the option of political beliefs or affiliations. An apostle of a government that has no regard for bono mores, an incarnation of deceit, manipulation and segregation, he could have taken the extra mile to spin his individual circumstances to give some credibility to his claim. To rely on social grouping could have been a viable option. That could have been wiser and better, considering the fact that Cameroon’s persecution of homosexuals has earned the contempt and dismay of the international community. Governors in the United States have openly denounced their families as they change their sexual orientation. Not suggesting what may amount to a conspiracy, he could have engaged in a surreptitious transaction with his family, openly changed his sexual orientation to gay or bisexual, and made his claim. Could he have predicated a case on the UN Convention against Torture? Apparently, that is not a remote possibility. However, he was once a distinguished official in a government that is a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Torture, but is in constant violation of its international obligations as torture (and cruel and degrading treatment and punishment) remain meted to Cameroonians. He who seeks equity must do equity. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. How clean are his hands if he has to count on protection based on the UN Convention against Torture? Not being streetwise, he could not devise any way to bend the law without breaking it.

To have been appointed an ambassador to the United States, performed the duties articulated in his job description, condoned and endorsed the gruesome political violence and atrocities of a regime he represented, defended a system that is indefensible, and shuttled from one nation to another as chief diplomat of the CPDM regime, the entire world is a living witness to the fact that he actively supported the system and vice versa, and it is too late for him to wash his hands like Pontius Pilate.

Even if he were to wash his hands, the bloodstains remain indelible. The prosecution of Nazi criminals following the surrender of Germany in 1945 was made easier by a simple but effective strategy developed and implemented by United States Supreme Court Justice and Counsel to the International Military Tribunal, Robert H. Jackson. The Allied Powers accused the Nazi regime of criminal conspiracy that led to the perpetration of crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Considering the commission of the crimes to be the offshoots of a criminal conspiracy, the Nazi regime (the Party, its leaders, and affiliate organizations like SS, SA, Gestapo) was labeled a criminal enterprise, and its members criminals based on voluntary membership. Applying that approach, strict senso and mutatis mutandi, the economic and political crimes committed by the CPDM regime would make it a joint criminal enterprise, and its key leaders and members like Jerome Mendouga, would be brought to justice.

As chief diplomat to the United States where Cameroonians seek political asylum based on past or well-founded fear of future persecution, Jerome Mendouga stiffened services to those who authored or benefited from such petitions. He established a system that penalized such individuals, confiscating passports that sent to the embassy for renewals. With a staff that could not contain its callousness towards Cameroonians with an English accent; arrogance, disrespect and unprofessionalism were the pillars upon which it built its customer service. With live cables building an unattractive cobweb, the embassy building looks desolate and inhabitable. Well located in the heart of metro Washington (DC), it is the epicenter of the healthiest and heaviest roaches, shamelessly and boldly harassing visitors and interrupting conversations. With the staff adapted to such working conditions, any visitor to the embassy down Mass. Avenue ends with an avalanche of pity for those who work there. Circulars dated in the late 90s decorate the walls, at times struggling to secure themselves to the paint that is being eroded by even the gentlest wind. A visit to the embassy building, an assessment of the services rendered, the customer service relationship, and the facilities within the building automatically dictate to the visitor that an intense and undiluted opposition to change resides in the ambassador. Cameroon’s embassy in Washington (DC) is a glimpse of the infrastructural cesspool and decay of the country’s socio-economic and political institutions.

A regime that is saturated with intellectuals who know how to bend the law without breaking it, they possess uncommon skills in a different kind of administration. They record their activities with Teutonic thoroughness. With their records being examined and details of transactions verified, the stage is now set for the settlement of political differences. In what seems to be the scandalum magnatum of the decade, some of Cameroon’s key political actors are now facing the wrath of the master and the judicial system. Needless to name names, surreptitious transactions of unimaginable consequences have been exposed, and political reprisals in the form of accountability before administrative and judicial authorities seem to be the sweet wages for their allegiance to, and betrayal of their master. The Albatros Affair seems to be akin to a Judas Iscariot kiss, both in the nature and consequences contemplated. However, unlike Judas Iscariot, the perpetrators’ master (and his family) did not perish. He survived in order to see them face to face and appreciate the nature of their bond. Political tit-for-tat in different forms must come as the unavoidable consequences. Ambition kills, and absolute ambition kills absolutely. It is not new in African politics to see the authors of a political storm identified and victimized in the ensuing calm.

Jerome Mendouga sought to gain political asylum in the USA as a means to circumvent investigation and possibly prosecution. A perfunctory decision that conveys imbecility and naivety, had he read Asylum 101 thoroughly, he would have understood that asylum is not, and can never be used by an ex-diplomat like him to evade prosecution. Having lived and worked in the United States, it was commonsensical for him to know that the United States is a country of law, and is built on the rule of law, distinct from the country he represented, which is built on rule by law, and is a country of people and passions. As a country of people and passions, founded on rule by law, he took no positive step to make the judicial system better. Having lived and worked in a democratic country, he must have learned that rule of law is a key institution to the democratization of a country. If the administration of justice did not bother him because he had been raised to the apparatchik of CPDM, he now sees himself as a potential victim of what he failed to make better. Having coated himself in different layers of self-deception, inevitability and superiority above the legal system, he oscillated between impunity and immunity. Today, he occupies an uncertain position as he vacillates between vendetta with the master, and the wrath of a judicial system that will probably intern him.

No matter how long the extradition process will take, Jerome Mendouga should be bold enough to return to the country he proudly served. He deserves a colossal pension for his extraordinary service to CPDM. It is practically unwise and politically incorrect to castigate a system that he once served when there has been no major change in circumstantial realities. He should go to Cameroon, then, consider returning to the USA to petition for asylum. That would actually give him a sense of what others have experienced, or fear when they make a case based on a well founded fear of persecution. Jerome Mendouga should return home and drink the cup of coffee he made. Asylum seekers have detested the situation, and he may as well be part of the bandwagon. He should return to Cameroon, reconnect with the political ancestors, see eye to eye with his accomplices, and get the benediction of his long time pal brother and master, before returning to the United States. As moral author of the atrocities of the regime, he must return to Cameroon to eat, and if possible, choke in his own vomit. Yes, Jerome Mendouga will be the perfect exemplum of a washed sow that returns to its wallow, and as he does that, one lesson he did not know but must learn is that a political system that does nothing to protect the oppressed is a political system that will do nothing to protect the oppressor.

 

Comments

[Emmauel Kuchambi]

Mr. Menduoga has always been and will remain a disgrace to the Cameroonian people. This is a man who has invested every fiber of his being in assertion of executive power and the execution of a muscular policy at the Cameroon embassy in Washington DC both in the name of trying to keep Cameroon as a democratic and safe nation.

If Mr. Menduoga has a conscience, and his patriotism really mean something he should return to the peaceful land he and the regime have built. All of us, being destroyed by these brutal acts sanctioned by our leaders. All of us share the burden for what is being done in our nation. Since he thought they is no reverse gear he has been locked on the path he had set in defiance of the wishes of many in his own people.

The evil that men do will leave after them.

Thank you
Emmakuch

[Vitalis Nkwenti Asanji]

It's simple, the law of inevitable retribution is haunting them.
No more time for the blame game,
Shame to those who ursuped fame,
Game and flame are the same,when you fail to tame the people.
Those who haunt will be haunted, it's just a matter of time before the people will claim the blessings for themselves and their posterity.
We got to stay positive. Keep it up Neba Fuh

[M.M.M.M.]

By reading this, I can clearly tell that the discussion and commentary taking place is one by the Cameroonian people. You might ask yourselves how? This is because every bit of information in this article, as well as the responses to it, are nothing more than unsubstantiated gossip. Its clear that you are all just people gifted in the fine art of story telling, and FANTASY. This is why Cameroon is not recognized as a country that excerces outstanding journalism - the lack of RESEARCH and the excessive use of IMAGINATION.
The ambassador has NEVER requested any type of political asylum, so essentially this long article that has been written, has been written based on one piece of information that turns out to be wrong. so now i ask, what was the point? What have you accomplished? How have you contributed to the world of information by spending your time publishing nonesense?

[Enongene]

We expect people like Mr M.M.M.M to defend 'mon l'ambassadeur' or is it the 'mon l'ambassadeur' himself? Does Mr M.M.M.M work with the U.S Immigration and Naturalization Service(INS).

Which country is recognized as exercising 'outstanding journalism' in your opinion??
I expect you to counter a story like the one above with such assertion by identifying yourself, if really you have facts to the contrary.
You didn't vent such emotions when 'mon l'ambassadeur' was treating his fellow cameroonian citizens in a foreign land like subhumans!!

[M.M.M.M.]

I'm unaware why my answering your question about a country being recognized as exercising outstanding journalism would be relevant, for I did not say that there were other countries worthy of such a prize. However, what I did say, was that Cameroon has never been internationally recognized as having good journalism...this conversation shouldn't be held based on my opinion...in fact this should't be a conversation based upon anyone's OPINION...that is the major problem that we are experiencing - too much opinion and too much speculation which lead to fable-like articles.

I feel no need to present you with any type of evidence or identification until all these gossip magazines that try and disguise their reporting as fact present me - the reader - with evidence as to why he is guilty of the accusations made above...Afterall, all men are innocent until PROVEN guilty.

and why don't you begin by describing a personal example of "ton l'ambassadeur" treating his fellow Cameroonian citizens in a foreign land as "subhuman"?..assuming you know what that means, considering I can't recall Mr Mendouga coming down from his office to converse or 'treat' anyone like anything. In fact I'm pretty sure that the majority of those entering the embassy come in contact with the receptionists...meaning, MYSELF and others...so, where are YOUR sources coming from Mr Enongene??

I suggest that you continue to expect people like myself to keep defending "ton ambassadeur"... luckily there are some of us that still value truth - those of us that refuse to allow the reputation of a good man to be tarnished at the hand of lazy reporters who seem to have more taste for fiction than anything else.

[watchman]

After all the obfuscation, name calling, ad hominem attacks, etc., the verdict is in: Former ambassador Jerome Mendouga has been arrested and locked up in the Kondengui Maximum security prison for embezzlement relating to the acqusition of the presidential plane, the ill-fated Albatross. MMM, what have you got to say now??? In any case, here is the story as reported by today's newspapers:

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Opération Epervier : Jérôme Mendouga à Kondengui

L'ancien ambassadeur du Cameroun aux Etats-unis en prison pour soupçon de coaction de détournement.

Lorsque Jérôme Mendouga se rend chez le juge d'instruction du tribunal de grande instance de Yaoundé Magnanguemabé hier peu après 10h pour un entretien qui doit avoir lieu vers 11h, il ne s'imagine pas que son statut de témoin dans l'une des affaires concernant Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara, ancien secrétaire général de la présidence de la République, actuellement sous mandat de dépôt à la prison centrale de Kondengui allait se muer en un destin tragique dans le même après-midi. En fait, l'ancien ambassadeur du Cameroun à Washington, costume et chaussures marron ainsi qu'une chemise blanche, sans cravate, s'est présenté hier matin devant le juge d'instruction au bureau dit "Guatanamo", en compagnie de son chauffeur.
Le juge, qui était absent des lieux le retrouve, l'appelle Monsieur l'ambassadeur et lui offre une chaise à la grande salle d'attente, contrairement aux autres personnes qui se servent du long banc. Serein, Jérôme Mendouga envoie même son chauffeur faire une course. Le juge disparaît et réapparaît 30 minutes plus tard. Vers 14h, la température change brusquement à "Guatanamo". Jérôme Mendouga est conduit au parquet, à une centaine de mètres et où les entrées étaient déjà filtrées.

Le procureur lui notifie son inculpation et la descente aux enfers de Kondengui commence vers 15h30. A 16h, selon nos sources à la prison centrale de Yaoundé Kondengui, le pénitencier a un nouvel "illustre locataire", comme le laissera entendre un gardien de prison. La famille du nouveau prisonnier arrive sur les lieux vers 17h30 avec " le matériel approprié " : matelas et quelques objets vestimentaires. Laquelle famille reste en prison pendant plusieurs heures, éplorée. Au moment où Jérôme Mendouga est inculpé pour cette dernière audience, il est à son troisième rendez-vous avec le juge d'instruction. Le dernier rendez-vous ayant eu lieu le 3 avril dernier. Cependant, il n'est pas assisté des avocats, puisqu'il y arrive comme témoin. Selon l’un de ses avocats, l'ambassadeur Jérôme Mendouga serait inculpé pour soupçon de coaction de détournement de deniers publics en ce qui concerne l'une des affaires Atangana Mebara. En fait, Jérôme Mendouga avait été chargé par ce dernier du suivi des travaux de remise à niveau du vieux Boeing 767-200. Selon les mêmes sources dans le cadre de l'Affaire Albatros, Gérôme Mendouga s'était rendu à Seattle aux Etats-unis, le siège de Boeing, en juin 2003, pour solliciter des propositions d'avions susceptibles d'être loués.

Le chef de l'Etat voulait, dit-on, disposer d'un avion à large rayon d'action et de grande capacité (en termes de passagers et de fret), avec des performances comparables à celles du 767, le Dja de la Camair, déjà affrété plusieurs fois pour les déplacements du Chef de l'Etat. A défaut d'un avion Vip. Trois propositions d'avions en module passagers (un 757-200, deux 767-200) auraient été soumises à Gérôme Mendouga. In fine, la nouvelle affaire Gérôme Mendouga porterait sur un montant 720.000.000 Fcfa non justifiés. L'ancien ambassadeur du Cameroun aux Etats-unis avait également fait partie du premier voyage de cet avion en direction du Cameroun, pour sa livraison en avril 2004. Certaines sources indiquaient également qu'il avait pris part à certaines négociations, notamment dans la signature du contrat de location de l'Albatros avec l'Us Bank national association. Selon d'autres sources généralement bien informées, de nombreuses autres personnes, parmi lesquelles des membres du gouvernement ou assimilés en fonction, devraient bientôt passer, elles aussi, devant le même juge.

Justin Blaise Akono

[M.M.M.M.]

Well here is what I have to say:

To begin with, I'll start with giving you advice. Don't believe everything you read. Le messager published an article years ago stating that Mr. Mendouga had stolen government funds.Mendouga filed a complaint, the case went to trial, and he won.Have you heard of this particular incident? (probably NOT) This shows the clear bias in the newspaper and the desire to publish stories for the sake of "good gossip."

Second,why don't you reason with yourself?

Is there any proof of Mr Mendouga inculpation in the situation? (NO)
Has Mr Mendouga ever been interrogated by a judge in regards to the situation? (NO)
Indeed, he is being detained, but has he been charged with anything? (NO)

Does that make any sense to you?

I beg you, if you have a concrete reason for why this man is in prison. Share it with us all. I would love to hear it, because at this point, I haven't found a single soul who can give an explanation behind the arrest. And if you really insist on referring to recent articles, think of what most of them say. According to those, he is being held for "soupcon de coaction de detournement de fonds."...SINCE WHEN are people ARRESTED based on mere SUSPICION? can you a imagine a world where everyone was prosecuted when they were suspected of doing something?

You call this a "verdict" when there has been no trial, no direct questioning, and no evidence?

Everyday, the country is becoming a sadder place when i see the dissinterest our people have in the simple act of seeking justice and equality for all...

If you all have a personal vendetta against this man, please don't beat around the bush and make false accusations. STATE your REAL PROBLEM. Do not come preach and speculate on superficial scratches when your wound deeper. Especially when your sole sources are online articles that differ in their facts and that are incapable of spelling or even copying down the alleged criminal's name correctly...

[M.M.M.M.]

correction...not just prosecuted because that would be normal. but ARRESTED...for an unknown period of time...

[Enongene]

M.M.M.M,I know it sucks that your 'Monsieur l'Ambassadeur' has been arrested. Don't mind if you need his address or any contacts to go help him, it is now public: Kondengui Maximum Prison, Yaounde, Cameroun.

Your emphatic 'NO' above indicates that you have already made your own judgement, aided by your computer keyboard and access to internet. Remember that the fact that a 'proof' has not been found, does not mean that it doesn't exist. Leave it to the courts, or else I will bundle and dump you with those who kept asking 'Ou sont les preuves?' while mass corruption was going on in Cameroon for years. M.M.M.M, the arrest or detention of any Cameroonian suspected of embezzlement should be good news to all,even you, no matter the circumstances. If you are not happy, then you are not a patriotic Cameroonian or maybe you are not even a cameroonian.

If I were you, i will wait to know whether charges will be brought against him and whether he will be acquitted or found guilty.
Anyway, Good luck in your defence of 'Monsieur L'Ambassadeur'

[M.M.M.M.]

With all due respect sir,
Your reasoning is flawed in so many areas that I'm unsure where to begin...or where to end for that matter.

A) "Your emphatic 'NO' above indicates that you have already made your own judgement, aided by your computer keyboard and access to internet"

I'll have to correct you on this one, my "emphatic" NO above should indicate no such thing. All I was doing was laying out my thought process brought about rather with the LACK of aid information being given by the internet.

B)"Remember that the fact that a 'proof' has not been found, does not mean that it doesn't exist."

I think this was the most frightening statement you made in your entire text. Basically you're implying that it's okay to arrest someone even if there isn't proof that inculpates them, provided that EVENTUALLY someone finds something? So... arrest FIRST, THEN start looking to see if you have reason to hold that individual? And if it turns out that none exists, then that person has been imprisoned for nothing? You've got to be kidding me...

C)"the arrest or detention of any Cameroonian suspected of embezzlement should be good news to all,even you, no matter the circumstances. If you are not happy, then you are not a patriotic Cameroonian or maybe you are not even a cameroonian."

Another frightening comment... any individual SUSPECTED of embezzlement...? Sir, if everyone were arrested as soon as they were suspected of a crime, I assure you not one human among us would be walking free right now. On the other hand, if people were arrested once they were proven guilty..that's proof of a judicial system making efforts to function properly, and allowing justice to served... and this is where i accuse YOU of not being a patriotic Cameroonian, because you would rather arrests are made for the sake of humiliating people, rather than a country where equity reigns. You'd rather a country that provides it's people with false hope, then genuine evolution. It seems you are one of the people for the worsening of the country rather than its advancement, and I am sincerely ashamed to know that there people like you, who think this way and who allow themselves to be referred to as Cameroonian - people who have the audacity to try and belittle those who wish for the betterment of the country, on the basis that they are less patriotic...

And Finally, you said this:

D) "M.M.M.M,I know it sucks that your 'Monsieur l'Ambassadeur' has been arrested. Don't mind if you need his address or any contacts to go help him, it is now public: Kondengui Maximum Prison, Yaounde, Cameroun."

I thought this was an educated discussion, so I don't see the need for this kind of patronizing statement. I neglect to see how this comment added to the point you were making on Monsieur l'ambassadeur's arrest "sucking"...

[watchman]

MMM, Mendouga has been arrested because there is enough "probable cause" to charge him. That is what the newspapers refer to as "suspicion", not in the regular sense of the word but in the legal sense. This is how grand juries work even in America where I believe you live - so, if it is not yet clear in your mind, the Cameroon judicial system has determined that there is a preponderance of facts to bring Mendouga to trial - and just as in the US, it is up to the judge or prosecutor to determine if he will "comparaitre libre" to his trial or if he should be remanded - "awaiting trial" as we say in Cameroon. And the judge has decided that not only is he a flight risk, but the charges against him are so egregious that he has to attend his trial from jail - a standard legal process even in the most advanced democracies.

So there has been no unfairness here. The state prosecutor interrogated him and determined that he was an active participant in a crime and will bring the case before a judge.

I hope you will pay me for this free lesson on the Cameroonian judicial system which the Mendougas and others of his ilk have defended for decades and even used to their advantage.

[MMMM]

I thank you for clearing that up for me and I hope that is payment enough for your lesson. Unfortunately, I must recuse my self from this discussion beacuse it seems we are arguing on two different plateaus that will never meet.

While your argument is founded on the information given to you by the press; that being that Mr. Mendouga was indeed heard and interrogated by a judge, my sources say otherwise. In fact they say that he was NEVER interrogated. Not ONCE, despite what the articles may say. So we meet a conflict: reporting vs. primary sources. Indeed if he had been interrogated by a judge as the majority of the articles state, your explanation would be absolutely, 100% plausible. But since this is not the case, i suppose you understand where the unfairness comes into play?

I truly can't blame you for taking the stance that you have taken because It isn't your fault. I suppose all you can abide by, is what you read in the newspaper and online, which makes sense. We all do it. And unlike Mr. Enongene I see that you have chosen to make sense of the information that you have access to. However, let me tell you... you're a being victimized and duped by the media.

Cameroon hasn't topped the list of the most corrupt countries in the world twice for no reason. Based on the facts i've received, I deduce that there is a reason Mr Mendouga is in prison, but his own wrong-doing is not that reason.

At this point only god will shed light on the situation, hopefully making the truth come to light. The justice system has been wrong too many times for me trust it. But if that doesn't bother you... by all means, continue to read "articles" (that never have direct quotes by the way,) and continue to accept each word of them as gospel truth. The cameroonian press is so one-sided that sometimes we forget we have the alternative of make your own inquiries...

[Enongene]

"While your argument is founded on the information given to you by the press; that being that Mr. Mendouga was indeed heard and interrogated by a judge, my sources say otherwise. In fact they say that he was NEVER interrogated. Not ONCE, despite what the articles may say. So we meet a conflict: reporting vs. primary sources." MMMM

1) Can we know your so called 'sources' and how you have verified their authenticity?

"Based on the facts i've received, I deduce that there is a reason Mr Mendouga is in prison, but his own wrong-doing is not that reason." MMMM.

2) Can we know the facts? What makes you think what you received were facts? Moreover, what makes your deduction so conclusive that any other information contrary to yours is false or doubtful?

3) I wish you the best in your defence of white collar thieves, and wish that one day when you get to know the truth about the sufferings caused to many Cameroonians by these fellows, you will be humbled.
P/s I see you couldn't appreciate the sarcasm in my previous comment. By The way I am Francis Enongene, who are you Mr MMMM? can we know your full name? Your full name should be your 'first fact' on this forum , before your other 'facts' concerning 'Monsieur L'ambassadeur'