By Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon
Iya Muhammed, the General Manager of Cameroon Cotton Production Company known in the French acronym as SODECOTTON was arrested in the morning of Monday, June 10 2013 in Yaoundé.
The arrest, which has been described as ‘spectacular’ by observers took place a few hours after Iya, who doubles as the President of Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, jetted into Yaoundé, from Lome, Togo.
Iya Mohammed
Iya was part of the Cameroon’s official delegation to the World Cup 2014 Qualifier match pitting the Hawks of Togo against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in one of the two Group I matches. Cameroon lost 0 – 2 to the Togolese.
According to official sources, Iya’s detention at the Gendermerie Secretariat in Yaoundé is for him to answer questions from the SPECIAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL on his management of SODECOTTON from 2005 – 2010.
On March 27 2013, the Audit Bench of the Supreme State Control Ministry made public that Iya has been charged with 20 counts of financial mismanagement, causing SODECOTTON to lose FCFA 9 Billion from the period 2005 – 2010. The Supreme State Control fined Iya FCFA 2 Million and recommended that he should not manage any state corporation for the next seven years.
With the government of Cameroon putting up a ferocious fight against embezzlement of public funds and corruption in the “Operation Sparrow Hawk”, observers have been quick to say that Iya Muhammed is the latest catch.
The arrest of Iya comes on the heels of the Elective General Assembly of FECAFOOT, slated for June 18 2013 in Yaoundé. Though incumbent, he is amongst the three contestants vying for the Presidency of FECAFOOT, including his immediate Vice President, John Begheni Ndeh and Madam Envoulou from the South Regional League of FECAFOOT.
Affaire a suivre!
