The anti-corruption body urges all victims of fraud to report instances and for all citizens to out rightly condemn bribery attempts.
Following several complaints forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, CONAC, strict judgments handed down on fraudsters and increase number of impostors in the country, the outfit is calling on all victims of fraud to speak out for appropriate measures to be taken to curb the bad practice.
Public orientations from officials of CONAC hold that individuals should take the responsibility of denouncing corruption by carrying out their duties in a manner of integrity. Going by statistics from CONAC, the educational sector suffers highest from the ugly tricks of dishonest persons.
School registration periods are said to be their peak periods of fraud given that they produce professional cards with the letterhead of CONAC and pass around as agents and regional representatives of the prestigious institution. Yaounde, Douala, Bafoussam and Bertoua top the chart of corrupt activities in the educational milieu given the financial viability of these cities.
Further investigations revealed that most of those implicated in fraud are most often workers of civil society organisations, who in some cases first rush to CONAC with brilliant ideas of fighting corruption and later quickly tag themselves as CONAC collaborators.
Once alleged imposters are arrested, they are handed to the police for legal procedures with the Division of Studies and Cooperation at CONAC closely following up related developments. As a preventive measure to control corruption, CONAC officials do not own professional cards, the Governor and Senor Divisional Officers of concerned localities of investigtions are notified before their arrival to facilitate cooperation, trained never to demand money in exchange for services, present mission orders when on facts finding assignments, and work in collaboration with the forces of law and order amongst other procedures.
In addition, within the national strategy in the fight against corruption, a caravan parades different areas during which educational and sensitisation campaigns on the importance of a corruption-free economy are done. Meanwhile, as regards anti-corruption activities by courts in 2016, a total of six verdicts were handed down by Courts of First Instance on files forwarded by CONAC.
The Special Criminal Court within the same stated period issued 25 decisions relating to public funds offences. Worth mentioning, is the fact that CONAC at the moment does not have regional branches. Their sole location is at the Yaounde Conference Centre where all complaints are received for onward investigation if necessary.
The increase in the number of complaints dropped at CONAC is an indication that more individuals are gaining trust in the activities of the organ.