By Ndi Mac-Bright
 |
| Bishop Befe Ateba |
The chairman of the National
Communication Council-NCC, an outfit created by government to check media
excesses in Cameroon may appear in the Mfoundi Court of First Instance on
January 21, 2014. Classified sources at the Mfoundi Court of First Instance in
Yaounde have hinted that NCC President Bishop Befe Ateba is expected to appear
in Court. This is so because a counter-petition from Bishop Befe Ateba praying
on the court to its incompetence into a case file submitted by the lawyers of
the Publisher of Quest Littoral has been thrown out. It should be recalled that
Quest Littoral and its Publisher Benjamin Zebaze were slammed a three (3)
months suspension alongside The Guardian Post and its Publisher, Ngah Christian
Mbipgo.
It should be noted that the
lawyers of Quest Littoral had submitted
a case file to the Mfoundi Court requesting redress for what the considered as
“unfair and unjust” three (3) months suspension of their client. The suspension
of December 21, 2013 on The Publisher and his media organ has had diverse
interpretations. Yet Benjamin Zebaz has been vocal on the decision describing
it as a kangaroo trial given that he was slammed a suspension without haven
been heard. To him, it was an ill intention to frustrate his media organ and
business given that newspaper publishing is a business. Sources say when Bishop
Befe Ateba got the court summon, he also filed a counter-petition praying on
the court to declare it incompetence in handling the matter. He also prayed the
court to refer the matter to the administrative court but the Mfoundi court
rejected the matter. Waked whispers in the media have interpreted the Mfoundi
Court’s decision as the first victory against NCC.
It should be noted that Benjamin Zebaze was the
first Publisher who took courage to put into the market daily newspaper in
Cameroon when he was publishing Le Quotidien. Besides, he had a chain of
newspapers like Challenge Hedbo, Challenge Nouveau, but latter sold Challenge Hebdo
to Fadil. Benjamin Zebaze also owns a Printing Press.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa
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