Driven by fraud, the State of Cameroon lost 3.1 billion CFA francs per year over the period 2010-2021, indicate the results of a tripartite audit conducted by the Minfi, the Ministry of Defense (Mindef) and the General Delegation for National Security (DGSN).
Since July 2024, the Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, has taken a decision to suspend, as a precautionary measure, the payment of the family allowance relating to the number of children of pensioners. This decision, which remains in force until the end of October of the current year, follows numerous irregularities observed in the payment of family allowances to pensioners of the defense forces.
In order to see things more clearly, a press release published on August 22, 2024 by the Minfi communications department highlights the motives for this precautionary measure while presenting some of the results obtained. “… Launched since 2022, this audit has identified the following irregularities: approximately 12,846 birth certificates declared false by civil status centers, approximately 4,300 retirees (418 from the police, 3,842 from the army and 43 survivor’s pensions paid to widows of military personnel) with at least one certificate declared false.”
In a context where the Cameroonian authorities intend to clean up the balance file, the MINFI notes that, “… The explosion in the amount of said financial allowance paid to retirees [family allowances] … during the period 2010-2021, has led to a growing deterioration in the sustainability of the pension system”. While the Minister of Finance invites all pensioners concerned to kindly provide the clerks assigned to the litigation phase in his ministerial department, the elements allowing to ensure henceforth the payment on a legal basis of their increase allowance for children. Nothing has filtered through for the moment as to what will happen to pensioners found guilty of fraud.
Moreover, an internal source at Minfi reports that a reception system has been in place since July 29, 2024, in the premises of building A of the Ministry of Finance. “Here, files containing regular birth certificates as well as all authentic supporting documents are received and examined. To date, out of 110 files received, 52 have been able to experience a favorable outcome resulting in particular in the restoration of their increase during the August 2024 balance, with a reminder of the month of July.
As for the others, their claims continue to be examined, either through the presentation of authenticated documents or by the completeness of their files,” assures the source.Overall, and while the process is ongoing, retired police and military personnel have seen the weight of their usual envelopes decrease, when receiving their pensions for the month of July 2024.
