In a document marked “very urgent” and addressed to the Minister of Finance on April 13, 2020, Atanga Nji wants the National Agency for Financial Investigation (NAFI) to open “an investigation and the freezing of funds of an illegal association named Suivie Cameroon Survival Initiative.”

Minister Atanga Nji informs the Minister of Finance that he had written to the Director General of Afriland First Bank for the closure of a bank account opened by the Cameroon Renaissance Movement under the cover of an illegal association called “Suivie Cameroon Survival Initiative” destined for the collection of public funds.

The Minister of Territorial Administration says his decision is informed by a series of reasons which includes the fact that the said “Suivie Cameroon Survival Initiative” is not registered at his ministerial department which takes charge over political parties and associations.

The Minister says in keeping with the dispositions of law no. 83/002 of July 21, 1983 and in line with the text of application of the same law provided for by decree no. 85/1131 of August 14, 1985, public fundraisings for whatever reason must be authorized by the Ministry of Territorial Administration.

The Minister goes further to cite article 10 of law no. 90/056 of December 19, 1990 relative to political parties which forbids political parties from receiving funds from abroad.

On the grounds that the “Suivie Cameroon Survival Initiative” does not fulfill existing legal requirements, it should therefore not open a bank account in Cameroon.

“The aforementioned illegal association placed under a political party with an account lodged at Afriland First Bank, is engaged in the collection of funds from the public allegedly destined for the fight against COVID-19,” said the Territorial Administration Minister.

Minister Atanga Nji ends by requesting the National Agency for Financial Investigation (NAFI) to probe into the “Suivie Cameroon - Survival Initiative” and to freeze any funds collected thereof without prejudice to judicial process against authors of the said “obscure” fundraising scheme.

The National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) is a public financial intelligence service instituted by Regulation No. 01/03-CEMAC-UMAC-CM, relating to the prevention and repression of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in each State of the Central Africa sub-region.

In Cameroon, the organization and functioning of ANIF is defined by Decree n° 2005/187 of May 31, 2005. It is a Financial Intelligence Unit (CRF) of administrative type attached to the Ministry in charge of Finance. Operational since January 2006, with missions to: To receive, process and, if necessary, transmit to the competent judicial authorities all information capable of establishing the origin of the sums or the nature of the operations covered by the Declaration of Suspicion (DS) in respect of the Fight against Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism.

Earlier on April 7, 2020, the Minister of Territorial Administration called on all those who have taken upon themselves to organize fundraising campaigns to tackle the Coronavirus to stop or face the music.

Atanga Nji said only the Special National Solidarity Fund created by the Head of State should be used for such an exercise and any organization or political party should immediately stop any fund raising activity carried out for the purpose.

“The Minister (of Territorial Administration) calls on all those who have taken upon themselves to organise these illegal fund-raising activities to stop immediately, to close any bank account opened for this purpose and to report to him as soon as possible, without prejudice to the penalties provided for by the legislation in force,” Atanga Nji said in a statement.

The Minister’s moves are intended to counter the initiative by the leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Maurice Kamto who launched his survival fund early this month to raise funds with which to help victims of the COVID-19.