Today marks the third hearing in the trial concerning the murder of Martinez Zogo, the broadcaster and former director of Amplitude FM radio, held on Monday, May 6th in Yaoundé. Similar to the previous two sessions, the defense lawyers’ request for full access to the investigation file from the court is likely to dominate discussions once again.
The defense team comprising 30 lawyers representing the 17 defendants in the trial regarding Martinez Zogo’s assassination has made it a non-negotiable precondition in preparing their defense, while the court advises them to review the file on-site.
Maître Seri Zokou, one of the lawyers representing Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, the former director general of the Cameroonian intelligence agency, DGRE, who is being tried for “complicity in torture” in this case, asserts, “According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, the accused person has the right to obtain a copy of the file. They are trying to make us believe that this only applies to the investigative phase. This is an extensive and erroneous interpretation by the court. We are facing blatant injustice here.”
“The government commissioner, i.e., the prosecution, is a party to the trial just like the defense lawyers,” adds Maître Seri Zokou. “Therefore, he cannot have access to arguments that would incriminate our clients while we do not. Thus, we consider this both a matter of principle, as it concerns fundamental legal principles and a crucial issue for the continuation of the trial. We are prepared to fight for the case file to be disclosed to us, not just for us to consult it.”
The murder of the broadcaster and former director of Amplitude FM radio had sparked widespread outrage in Cameroon. Martinez Zogo was abducted on January 17, 2023, in broad daylight in Yaoundé. A few days later, on January 22nd, his body was found near the capital. He was known in Yaoundé for his acerbic tone and vehement denunciations, sometimes outrageous, of public figures.