By Eric Tataw – Washington DC, USA – Tuesday, December 17, 2019.
The third in command at the Embassy of Cameroon in Russia was last week intercepted by the police for driving under the influence of alcohol, a source at the Embassy in Moscow, Russia’s capital has told National Telegraph.
Our whistleblower at the Embassy says Samba Samba Simon was driving aggressively, tailgating and endangering other road users on the Volokolamsk Highway.
Panicking automobile operators alerted the police, reports say. Traffic police arrived at the scene identified the aggressive driver as Samba Samba Simon, Consul at the Cameroon Embassy in Moscow.
Reports say since he enjoys immunity, he was documented as driving under the influence of alcohol and a Chrysler 300 he was driving was evacuated.
Although Simon presented his diplomatic card and refused a medical examination at the time of the incident, traffic police officers said they didn’t need a breathalyzer as it was clear he was under the influence of the alcohol while driving, said a source.
Whistleblower says Simon is a well-known drunkard and drives with cans of Baltika 7 Beer in his Chrysler 300. He has also been accused by Cameroonians in Russia for fraudulent passport deals.
Many say a passport that will normally cost ten thousand rubles (approximately 145 euros) ends up costing eighteen thousand rubles (approximately 260 euros) because Simon demands an extra eight thousand rubles (115 euros), claiming it’s for transportation from Cameroon to Russia.
But many Cameroonians who have lost their immigration cases from this act and some who have ended up deported say the embassy has the responsibility to transport passports after renewals without demanding an additional fee.
Many say, the passport is an organised crime and started immediately after the death of the then Ambassador, André Ngongang Ouandji who died on June 27, 2007, in Brussels, Belgium.
The new Ambassador, Mahamat Paba Sale who took over from Churchill Monono who acted as interim after the demise of André Ngongang Ouandji has since stayed mute in the face of this organised mafia that has jeopardized thousands of Cameroonians.
There are also accusations that those who came from Cameroon to Moscow for auditing usually cover up the ‘gang’ as they’re given large envelopes or bribe.
Most Embassy personnel have been quoted saying that they can’t teach students at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon – IRIC and they’re later sent to audit them, indicating that most, if not, all reports from the auditors are always influenced.
But, Samba Samba Simon, speaking from Mosco told National Telegraph that the accusations are false. On the aspect of the passport, he provided an official document showing 11800 rubles for stamps and transportation to Cameroon.
Simon went on that there’s an additional official amount of 8500 rubbles for the sending of the final passport copy from Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde through DHL to Moscow.
“When you see the amounts, everything is official. If someone told you that I took from him more, that’s not true.”, Simon said. On the issue Driving Under the Influence (DUI), Simon said he has no comment.
