Between 2008 and 2024, the Budgetary and Financial Disciplinary Council (CDBF) handled 137 cases involving 340 public administration officials for mismanagement. The financial loss caused to the State amounts to more than 145 billion CFA francs. Consupe, which oversees the disciplinary body, delivered this assessment in Yaoundé, on the occasion of the launch of the CDBF’s 2025 activities.
The report published by the Ministry of Higher State Control (Consupe) highlights a series of abuses in the management of public funds. From 2008 to 2024, the CDBF examined 137 cases related to the mismanagement of public resources. 1,058 mismanagement cases were identified through 347 alleged irregularities. A total of 340 officials were singled out. For 78 alleged grievances, the CDBF declared itself incompetent. The sanctions imposed resulted in 246 million CFA francs in special fines imposed on the offenders. But the most striking figure is the deficit: 145.1 billion CFA francs. This represents the damage suffered by the public authorities. The amount to be recovered by the Public Treasury amounts to 145.4 billion CFA francs, a sum owed to the State and certain public entities.
Well-known profiles
The main actors implicated are public credit authorizing officers, managers, and controllers. Directors general, mayors, and other senior officials account for more than half of the misconduct. Thus, the directors general of public enterprises alone accumulate 321 mismanagement offenses worth 74.3 billion CFA francs. This is followed by provisional administrators (31.4 billion CFA francs), agents (12 billion CFA francs), mayors (625 million CFA francs), deputy directors (5 billion CFA francs), and university rectors (2 billion CFA francs).
Sanctions with dissuasive limits
According to regulations, the maximum penalties that the CDBF can impose include a special fine of 200,000 to 2 million CFA francs and a disqualification of between 5 and 10 years, prohibiting the offender from managing public funds or working in the administration. However, in the face of embezzled or mismanaged funds, some observers question whether these measures are sufficiently dissuasive. Consupe, for its part, continues its efforts to improve the morality of public management through its audits and investigations, with the aim of strengthening accountability in the Cameroonian administration.