Alphonse Siyam Siwe

Alphonse Siyam Siwe (born August 4 1953 [http://www.spm.gov.cm/showgouv.php?module=showindividu&lang=fr&pers=209 Profile on Siwe at government website] fr icon.] ) is a Cameroonian politician who served as Minister of Energy and Water and previously as Director-General of the Autonomous Port of Douala. In 2007, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for corruption.

Siwe was Deputy Director of Labogenie from 1981 to 1984 and Director of Labogenie from 1984 to 1990. [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=15684 "Gouvernement: Qui sont-ils ?"] , "Mutations" (Cameroon-info.net), December 10, 2004 fr icon.] He was appointed Deputy Secretary-General at the Presidency on September 7 1990. He then became Secretary-General of the Ministry of Public Works before being elected to the National Assembly from Haut-Nkam constituency. He was re-elected to the National Assembly from Haut-Nkam in the 2002 parliamentary election, [http://www.spm.gov.cm/elections/legislatives2002/leg2002%20_syn.htm 2002 election results] , spm.gov.cm fr icon.] where his list, that of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement, received 49.58% of the vote, winning two of the three available seats. He also served as Mayor of Bafang.

Siwe served as Director-General of the Autonomous Port of Douala from April 1998 to February 2005. [ [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=17519 "Après plus d’un mois de détention: Début de l’interrogatoire de Siyam Siwé"] , "Le Messager" (Cameroon-info.net), April 13, 2006 fr icon.] He was appointed Minister of Energy and Water in the government named on December 8 2004. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20050909051146/http://www.presse-francophone.org/francophonie/francophonie_gouvernements_cameroun.htm List of members of the government of Cameroon] (2005 archive page), presse-francophone.org fr icon.] On February 24 2006, he was dismissed from the government and arrested [ [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=18614 "Rétrospective de l'année 2006"] , Cameroon-info.net, December 31, 2006 fr icon.] for allegedly participating in stealing about 38 billion CFA francs in public funds while he was Director of the Douala Port. [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20071213132729721C228784 "Corruption jails ex-Cameroon minister"] , AFP ("IOL"), December 13, 2007.] He was tried along with 12 other defendants [http://www.cameroon-info.net/cmi_show_news.php?id=21302 "Détournements au Pad: 30 ans pour Siyam, 15 ans pour Etondè Ekotto"] , "Le Messager" (Cameroon-info.net), December 13, 2007 fr icon.] in December 2007. On December 13 2007, verdicts in the trial were announced; Siwe received the most severe sentence, 30 years in prison even though no substantial proof was presented to support these accusations. He was convicted on six charges and acquitted on ten. Three of the other 12 defendants were also found guilty, including Edouard Nathanaël Etondè Ekotto and François Marie Siéwé Nitcheu, who respectively received 15 and 25 year sentences.

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